


Staying Connected

by FanficFemale



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: Ai is going down a dark path but he is taking Yusaku Kusanagi and Roboppy down with him, Ai's cannon reason makes sense now and I will definitely use it, Alternate take on Season 3, And maybe others along the way, Dealing with loss & grief, Family Feels, Gen, Instead of survivor's guilt Ai being the last ignis makes him very clingy over the ones he has left, Link Sense will be explored and utilized much more, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Overprotective Ai, Possessive Ai, Possessive Behavior, Roboppy is remaining female in this story, Some lose ends at the end of Season 2 will be dealt with, Team as Family, Trust
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2020-05-15 14:30:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 23,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19297660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanficFemale/pseuds/FanficFemale
Summary: After losing all his fellow Ignis, Ai decides it's time to do things differently now.#1 Get a new body#2 Cherish the loved ones he has left#3 Make sure that nothing can ever take them away from him





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Last Rose](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19010806) by [induratize](https://archiveofourown.org/users/induratize/pseuds/induratize). 



> Just something I needed to get out after seeing how Season 3 is going so far. I don't mind Ai becoming an antagonist, but so far the reasons for it don't make sense and his relationships with people like Yusaku, and Kusanagi were cast aside so easily. So this story will satisfy me until we find out more as the season progresses.
> 
> If you feel the same check out The Last Rose by induratize. It's another good alternate take on season 3 where Ai and Roboppy still wants to involve Yusaku in their shenanigans/plans.

_We won._ –Ai

 _Yeah, but the cost was too high._ –Playmaker

**A Partner’s Request**

Everyone thought that Ai had left when he sunk down into Playmaker’s duel disk with a saddened disposition after confessing to Blue Maiden and Soulburner that he couldn’t save the other Ignis. However, Playmaker sensed that Ai was still within the duel disk, but figured that Ai didn’t want anyone to know so he kept quiet about it. It was only when Yusaku returned to his apartment that Ai finally came back out and immediately asked if Yusaku could do something very important for him. After all that happened with Bohman and the loss of the other Ignis, Yusaku didn’t hesitate to agree. When Ai explained what he wanted, Yusaku was both surprised and intrigued by it. Of course, he asked why Ai wanted such a thing, to which Ai had given him a very serious look.

“Everyone I loved is gone and I didn’t realize until now just how much I took the time I had with them for granted,” he admitted with a sad tone before continuing.

“As much as I hate to admit it, Flame was right. Because of our longevity we didn’t fear death and therefore we never experienced loss or grief. But most importantly, we couldn’t truly appreciate what we had until it was gone. Losing them has made me realize just how precious they were to me.”

Ai's features then became softer and he gave Yusaku a fond look.

“It also made me realize that I don’t want to wait till I lose you to realize how precious you are to me Yusaku-chan. I want to appreciate you now while I can. And I know doing this will help me to do that,” Ai explained with as much sincerity as possible.

Ai’s words had struck Yusaku deeply. His relationship with Ai had changed so much since they first met. In the beginning, they both truly hadn’t trusted one another and were trying to remain emotionally distant as possible. But, despite their best efforts somehow their relationship started developing into something much more than they ever thought it would.

That’s why, he had been so hurt when it was revealed that Ai had had his memories and answers to his questions about the incident all along. It wasn’t that he had been upset that Ai lied in the beginning, in fact that made sense considering that he was in a hostage situation and that he had been a harsh jailer. But when their relationship had shifted, he had started to really trust Ai and he had thought the feeling had been mutual. But it wasn’t until Ai had risked his life to allow him to enter that dangerous data storm that Yusaku had realized that Ai did trust him, yet he had been afraid that the truth would damage all the progress they had made in their relationship. But fortunately it hadn’t and instead their relationship became stronger as a result.

 After the Tower of Hanoi had fallen and he had officially freed Ai as his hostage, he had expected Ai to leave him for good and return back home. But to his surprise and relief (though he refused to admit he felt the later at that time) Ai had decided to stick around a little longer. So for three peaceful months, they had gotten the chance to allow their relationship to develop even further. When Ai had finally decided to return home, it was with promises of visits and even taking him to Cyberse World one day. But neither of them had expected the destruction of Cyberse World and Jin’s stolen consciousness to bring them back together so soon.

Then Soulburner and Flame entered their lives. Not only did he find a comrade but someone who also shared a similar relationship with their Ignis even if they didn’t tell them that. Still it had been nice to know that he and Ai were not the only ones, which it turn had made them more comfortable and confident with their own relationship. Until they had encountered Bohman for the second time and he accused him of being a fake. That had led to doubt and conflict for both him and Ai. For Yusaku, he had accepted the possibility as not only an explanation for why he had his Link Sense, or even how he always struggled in expressing human emotions even after he found closure with the Lost Incident, but also why he and Ai formed such a strong connection. For Ai, the possibility meant that his loyalties had to be reevaluated since neglecting his Origin and tossing him aside for a fake didn’t seem right. He had ended up proving that he had been the real one in the end, but the whole thing had tested his and Ai’s relationship to the point that they almost hadn’t passed. Yet this in turn made them determined to build a better bond and connection so that something like that wouldn’t deter them again. So by the time of his duel with Earth, their relationship was at a point when he hadn’t hesitated to admit that Ai was his partner.

However, their relationship continued to be tested as they had to deal with Lightning and Windy’s declaration of war, Hanoi’s return, Bohman’s growing strength, Earth’s demise, and dueling a deteriorating Go Onizika. But it was the events that happened in Mirror Link VRAINS that had finally broken them both. Ai had lost all his friends who would likely never come back. But Ai wasn’t the only who suffered great lost during the war. Yusaku had lost everyone including Ai and even though they all had come back that hadn’t taken away the experience of being the only one left to fight Bohman. And even though Ai quickly returned, Yusaku knew that the damage had been done. Yusaku could tell that the Ai that had come back wasn’t the same, but neither was he as a huge part of him had died along with the original Ai when he sacrificed himself to stop the Neuron Link. They were now fragments of the people they used to be, yet like Ai he too wanted to appreciate what they had left. A small smile came onto Yusaku’s lips.   

“You are precious to me as well Ai and I want to cherish every moment of what we have together,” he confessed in earnest brining a look of awe onto Ai’s face.

“Really Yusaku-chan? You mean that?” Ai had to ask to which Yusaku became very serious.

“I already lost you twice…. I-I don’t think I can handle a third time.”

The gravity of those words hit Ai hard. The Ignis realized that Yusaku wasn’t exaggerating in any way. His human wouldn’t be able to survive another of his deaths.

“Yusaku-chan, I won’t put you through that again. I promise,” declared Ai with resolve in his voice.

Of course, they both knew keeping a promise like that wasn’t likely, but it was the heart behind those words that counted.

“Let’s get started on that new body for you,” suggested Yusaku with a smile returning on his lips.

Creating a new form for Ai turned out to be more difficult than Yusaku initially thought it would be. Not because of the coding and reprograming aspects of a project like this, but because Ai seemed to have an idea of what he wanted but had trouble explaining it to Yusaku. From what Yusaku could gather is that Ai definitely wanted to keep his color scheme of black and purple and at least his eye color, but when it came down to needing more detailed features the Ignis struggled with deciding what he wanted. And whenever Yusaku tried to suggest something, Ai would take it into consideration but then would say it just didn’t feel right. It came to a point when no progress seemed to be made that they decided a break was needed and that they would continue tomorrow.

However, when it was time to resume working on creating Ai’s new body, Yusaku was surprised to see Roboppi with a nervous emoji on her screen and Ai who looked even more uncomfortable. It was then that Yusaku’s Link Sense picked up something strange around Roboppi that he had never felt before. When he focused more on the robot, he noticed that her anxiousness and expressions seemed more realistic than ever. Yusaku then gave Ai a questioning look when it seemed the Ignis became even more fidgety when he had been staring at Roboppi.

“Care to explain Ai?” he asked, knowing that Ai was probably responsible for this change in Roboppi.

“Eh, well…let’s just say it looks like Roboppi might need a new body too,” he answered with a sheepish look.

Yusaku raised an eyebrow in response hinting that he wanted Ai to elaborate much more than that and with a sigh Ai started explaining the effect his backup was beginning to have on Roboppi. When Ai finished, Yusaku was quiet for a while which made both Ai and Roboppi sweat with apprehension.

“Fine,” Yusaku finally said causing Ai to let out a sigh of relieve and Roboppi to be overjoyed.

“Yay! I’m getting a new body just like Aniki!” she explained happily as she started going around in circles with her arms raised in joy.

Yusaku was amused by Roboppi’s enthusiasm and he allowed her a few more seconds to express her happiness before he spoke to her.

“Roboppi, do you know what you want to look like?” Yusaku asked her.

Roboppi seemed stunned by the question and tilted her head up at Yusaku.

“Master is letting me decide?” she asked in surprise.

Yusaku wasn’t sure why Roboppi was surprised by this, but maybe it was because she was still getting used to having a mind of her own.

“Yes…and you don’t have to call me Master anymore if you don’t want to,” he told her.

Roboppi seemed to mull over what Yusaku said before responding. “Can I call Master Saku-chan then?”

A slight smile cracked on Yusaku’s lips. “Sure,” he answered causing a happy emoji to appear on Roboppi’s screen.

“Thank you Saku-chan!” she replied joyfully before a thoughtful look to her. “Can we work on my body now? It should be easier for you than Aniki’s since unlike Aniki I already know exactly what I want!”

Ai immediately took offense with Roboppi’s comment. “Well unlike you, I am a more complex and sophisticated individual and thus need a form that will epitomize all my amazing qualities perfectly!” Ai proclaimed to Roboppi in a huff.

Yusaku couldn’t stop the snort that came out from hearing Ai’s words, which made Ai turn to Yusaku with a glare. “Don’t laugh at me! I’m being serious!”

“I know Ai,” stated Yusaku with an amused expression on his face telling Ai that that was the exact reason why he found it funny.

“Like Saku-chan, I also find Aniki’s claims improbable,” Roboppi agreed in a teasing tone.

“After all I’ve done for both of you, you gang up and turn on me like this!” exclaimed Ai.

“Tell me what you want Roboppi,” Yusaku stated as though Ai hadn’t said anything.

“Okay!” she said excitingly as she began giving Yusaku her ideas for her new body.

Yusaku was listening intensively to every detail Roboppi was saying and nodded in understanding when she was finished. It seemed that she had been right in claiming that she knew exactly want she wanted better than Ai.

“I’ll get started,” announced Yusaku, facing his laptop as he prepared to start working.

“Yay! I’m getting my new body before Aniki. Thank you Saku-chan!” said a very pleased Roboppi.

“It’s no problem Roboppi,” Yusaku responded with a smile.

“And now not only are you both ignoring me, but you’re going to give Roboppi her body before me! How dare you!” Ai yelled, looking like he was about to throw a tantrum.

Yusaku’s eyes shifted to Ai for a moment before returning to his computer. “Do you have all the details figured out for your new body yet?” he asked Ai.

Though Yusaku was trying to hide it, Ai picked up the haughtiness in his tone indicating that Yusaku already knew that he didn’t and was just being condescending about it. However, as much as Ai hated to admit it, he still didn’t know exactly what he wanted yet.

“What’s your point?” Ai asked in an annoyed way purposefully not answering the question.

Yusaku didn’t even bother to stop and look at Ai as he spoke. “Since Roboppi isn’t as “complex and sophisticated” as you, her body will take the less amount of time and will be much easier to make. So it makes sense that I should do hers first.”

Ai understood that Yusaku was subtly mocking him, but at the same time he did have a point. “Fine,” grumbled Ai with his arms crossed in defeat.

With that settled, Yusaku continued working without any further complaints from Ai. However, Roboppi broke the silence by making a witty observation.

“Saku-chan is very good at getting Aniki to be quiet,” she claimed with a huge smile on her screen.

This made Ai huff in irritation and a light smirk form on Yusaku’s lips.

* * *

 

A soft expression was on Playmaker’s face as he watched Roboppi joyfully prancing around the area in her new body. Roboppi now had the appearance of a small child with a short bobcut of cyan hair, two pink streaks in the front and orange in the back. She had pale skin, pale yellow eyes, and a whited framed, yellow diamond in the middle of her neck. Roboppi's attire consisted of a large blue jacket with a black and white hood, pink and white stripes down the front over a black collar, a white zipper, and pink and orange rimmed sleeves. She was also wearing turquoise jeans and pink sneakers.

Roboppi did a few exuberant twirls and other physical feats making sure she was used to her new limber legs and arms before feeling satisfied that she had mastered her new form. She then turned to face Playmaker with a large grin on her face.

“This body is perfect! Thank you Play-chan!” exclaimed Roboppi.

“You’re welcome Roboppi,” replied Playmaker, glad that she was enjoying her new body.

“Not bad, but mine will be better,” Ai said confidently, standing proudly on top of Playmaker’s duel disk.

“Aniki, how can you be sure your body will be better than mine when you still don’t know want you want to look like yet?” retorted Roboppi with a skeptical tone. 

“She isn’t wrong?” added Playmaker.

“Is this “let’s gang up on Ai” going to be a thing with you two now?!” Ai complained with frustration.

 “Only when Aniki says and does idiotic things!” teased Roboppi with a laugh.

“Oh, I thought idiot was a prohibited word,” mocked back Ai to which Roboppi was quick to reply to.

“Not when it comes to you Aniki!” she answered back with a mocking grin.

Ai was getting ready to make a comeback, but the sound of laughter caught both Roboppi and Ai off guard. Both AIs could not believe their eyes or ears when they realized that the laughter was coming from Playmaker. However, when Roboppi understood why Playmaker was now laughing a proud expression came on her face.

“I made Play-chan laugh!” she proclaimed with joy.

All of Ai’s frustration at Playmaker and Roboppi’s constant mocking of him melted away the second he heard Playmaker’s laughter. The first time he had heard Playmaker laugh was during the Tower of Hanoi and the final duel with Revolver. Yet, that laughter had been strained and full of desperation. But this time Playmaker’s laughter was lighthearted and genuine. And even though this laughter was at his expense, Ai found himself not minding that fact at all.  

“Yeah, you did,” quietly mused Ai as he basked in sound of his partner’s cheerful laughter.

* * *

 

It was clear to Yusaku and Ai by now that they were not going to make any progress on Ai's body on their own. They clearly needed help and both knew exactly who they trusted enough to ask. So after a few discussions on the pros and cons of involving the person in on this, a unanimous decision was made. This lead to Yusaku and Ai paying a visit to Kusanagi and letting him know that not only had Ai not left but that he also wanted a different look. After they had explained everything to Kusanagi, the man took a moment to process all that he was told before finally speaking.

“So how far have you two gotten?” he asked in curiosity.

“Just the colors and basic features,” admitted Yusaku with a sigh.

“That’s all?” replied Kusanagi in surprise.

“Ai is making it very difficult,” claimed Yusaku.

“It’s not my fault that you cannot fully comprehend my glorious vision,” retorted Ai in a haughty tone.

“Yes, it is. That’s the problem,” remarked back Yusaku.

Ai could not deny the truthfulness in Yusaku’s words. He knew what he wanted but not how to express it well to Yusaku. That’s why they turned to Kusanagi, hoping the man had a solution to their dilemma.

“So, do you think you can help us Kusanagi-san?” Yusaku asked with a bit of hope in his voice.

“Ai, do your best to explain everything you can to me about the body you want,” said Kusanagi as he focused his attention solely on Ai.

Ai gladly began telling Kusanagi all he could about the kind of body he wanted. When Ai was finished, Kusanagi closed his eyes as he went into deep thought before inspiration hit him.

“Now tell me how old you want to look. Around my age, Yusaku’s, Revolver’s, or Roboppi’s?” he asked the Ignis.

Ai considered the question before replying. “Revolver’s.”

“And who’s appearance matches the closest to want you want. Mine, Yusaku’s, Takeru’s, Revolver’s, Roboppi’s or someone else’s we know?” questioned Kusanagi.

Once more Ai took a moment to think before he answered. “Yusaku-chan.”

Yusaku was both surprised and flattered that Ai wanted to resemble him in some way and couldn’t help but crack a smile in response. A smile crept on Kusanagi’s face as well before he continued questioning Ai.

“What about size, shape, and height? Me, Yusaku, Takeru, Revolver, Roboppi or someone else?”

“Ah! I get it now!” exclaimed Ai happily. “Yours! And I want my hair a bit like yours too but with slightly larger bangs and pink highlights like Playmaker’s!”

Like Yusaku, Kusanagi felt flattered that Ai wanted to take some of his features as inspiration for his body making the smile on his face grow.

“Clothing?” Kusanagi asked next.

“Like Yusaku-chan’s but more regal looking. I also want something that would add more flare to it like a long flowing trench coat that defies gravity and blows elegantly in the air with non-existent wind!”

“You’ve been watching too many shows,” offhandedly commented Yusaku.

“Soulburner has a cool flowing scarf!” counteracted Ai.

“That’s true,” chuckled Kusanagi. “How about an actual cape then?”

“Yes, that’s perfect! Finally, someone who understands!” Ai declared cheerfully.

“Yes, it’s a good thing you came to me when you did. Fashion and design aren’t really Yusaku’s specialties so I can see why you were having so much trouble explaining it to him,” teased Kusanagi with a sly smile.

“Creativity isn’t his specialty either,” added Ai.

This caused Kusanagi to burst out laughing while Yusaku simply remained placid to Kusanagi and Ai mocking him. Yusaku was very used to being the receiving end of their jabs by now.

* * *

 

Playmaker, Unnamed, and Roboppi were waiting patiently for Ai’s big reveal of his new body. Thanks to Kusanagi, they had been able to create the form that Ai wanted. Ai then took the liberty to add the finishing touches to his design and when it was done, he was more than eager to show it off. Of course, since this was Ai, instead of simply appearing before them in his new body, he was planning on making some kind of grand entrance instead.

“How much longer do we have to wait for Aniki to show up?” asked Roboppi in a bored tone.

“It’s only been five minutes. Besides I’m sure it will be worth the wait,” answered Unnamed with an amused voice.

“I don’t see why he needs to make some grand entrance for this,” stated Playmaker.

“Why not?” Unnamed remarked back to Playmaker with a grin.

Playmaker supposed Unnamed had a point. If Ai really wanted to show off a bit what was really the harm. Just then, something triggered Playmaker’s Link Sense and he knew right away what was about to happen.

“Kusanagi-san, Roboppi, brace yourselves! A powerful Data Storm is coming!” warned Playmaker.

As if to confirm Playmaker’s claim, the once peaceful area they were in was soon bombarded with heavy winds. Then to their shock the Data Storm began to form right under their feet. The bluish pink winds of data sprouted from the ground and began to surround them, trapping them inside the storm.

“Uh! What’s going on?! Why did Aniki trap us in this dangerous storm!” shouted Roboppi over the harsh sound of the winds.

“Good question,” muttered Playmaker with squinted eyes as the winds were now making it harder to see as well.  

The winds suddenly became stronger and shouts of distress came from all three as they were suddenly lifted off from the ground and ending up being carried up high into the air by the winds of the storm. Fortunately, their D-Boards quickly approached them through the storm and the three swiftly got onto the boards.

“What is Ai planning?!” shouted Unnamed in alarm as he was trying to keep his balance.

“I don’t know,” replied Playmaker with a bit of concern in his voice, trying to figure out what Ai was up to.

“Play-chan, is it always this intense inside these things?!” cried out Roboppi who was having the most difficulty traversing the winds because of her small size and weight.

Playmaker was about to answer her but then he noticed that Unnamed and Roboppi were close to being knocked off their boards. Playmaker silently cursed realizing that the two were too inexperienced to handle riding inside a Data Storm of this magnitude and so he quickly acted. Playmaker expertly made a sharp turn and rapidly headed towards Unnamed and Roboppi. Just as they slipped of their duel boards, Playmaker managed to grab them before pulling them up onto his D-Board with him. Once they were safely on the board, Playmaker faced them.

“Grab onto me!” Playmaker urgently told them.

Roboppi immediately latched onto Playmaker wrapping her arms tightly around his leg while Unnamed grabbed Playmaker tightly around his waist. Playmaker was grateful that they were conscious enough to make sure his arms stayed free knowing that that would’ve made it more difficult for him to maneuver the board. With his passengers secured, Playmaker was about to lead them out of the storm before a voice spoke loud and proud above the storm.

“SEIZE THE WIND PLAYMAKER!”

Playmaker’s eyes widened when he heard the familiar phrase from his partner. Understanding dawned on Playmaker as he knew exactly what Ai wanted him to do. He wasn’t sure how it would work since he wasn’t currently in a Speed Duel, but he trusted that Ai knew what he was doing.

“Kusanagi-san, Roboppi, hold on tight, we’re going deeper into the storm!” he told them seriously.

Both were clearly nervous about going further into the storm, but their trust in Playmaker was clear as they simply nodded in understanding and strengthened their grip on him. Playmaker soon dived down into the center of the storm, moving closer to the swirling data winds.

“Activate Skill!” shouted Playmaker as he stretched out his arm towards the winds and the golden strips of his bodysuit glowed.

Then Playmaker plunged his hand into the storm. “Neo Storm Access!”

However, to everyone’s shock instead of a glowing white card forming in the storm, a human-like figure shrouded in the same white glow formed instead. The figure then stretched his own arm towards Playmaker’s causing their hands to meet. A smile came on Playmaker’s face as he grabbed the figure’s hand in his and the figure returned the gesture, their fingers intertwined with one another. Following his instincts, Playmaker continued riding with the winds while his hold on the figure remained strong. The figure seemed to be riding the winds along with Playmaker as the two were matching each other’s movements in perfect sync despite the figure still being immersed in the winds. They soured through the storm together until they flew out of it in a burst of blue and pink vibrant rays of light. When the lights dissipated, the white light had faded from the figure that was still holding Playmaker’s hand to reveal Ai’s new human-like form riding on his own D-Board.

Ai now had a pale complexion, piercing yellow eyes with rectangular pupils matching the sharp features of his face, and a blue diamond chip on his neck and back. His black shoulder length spiky hair had yellow tips and along the front were purple bangs with pink highlights. His outfit consisted of a light purple formal shirt, black pants, and boats that resembled Yusaku’s school uniform but with a black handkerchief tie. He also had a black vest fastened with three yellow straps under a black cape with red lining inside, a yellow border outlining the cape and two golden shoulder tassels. Lastly and most noticeably, he wore a pair of purple earrings with orange studs that resembled his old head.

Ai turned to see everyone’s reactions to his new body and was not disappointed. Roboppi was gazing at him with stars in her eyes in total awe, while Unnamed had the largest grin on his face no doubt proud of the final result of all their hard work. But for Ai, Playmaker’s reaction was the best (and most important to him). Even though it had been only a second, Ai had caught the spark of desire flare up in Playmaker’s eyes and the light blush on his cheeks before his expression quickly became passive. Ai was delighted that his partner apparently found his new form attractive and decided to save that piece of info for later.

Ai and Playmaker soon landed their D-Boards and everyone was safely back on the ground.

“That was fun!” declared Ai with a grin.

“Yeah, I got to see Play-chan use his skill up close and it was so cool!” Roboppi exclaimed with excitement. “But, being unexpectedly lifted up in the air and falling off my board wasn’t though,” she added as an afterthought.

“It was definitely quite the experience. But I think from now on I’ll leave all the Data Storm riding to Yusaku,” replied Unnamed with a laugh.

Playmaker nodded in understanding to what they said. “Not everyone can handle being in a data storm,” he remarked in a sympathetic tone.

“That’s true. In fact, me and Playmaker are the only ones who can truly master them,” Ai said while giving Playmaker a confident smile.

Playmaker was perplexed by Ai’s statement. Even though Windy and Bohman were gone, they had clearly more control over data storms than them. And there was Revolver who could not only control data storms, but was just as good at riding them too. So why would Ai make such a claim when there were others who could clearly master data storms just as well or even better than them? As if sensing his partner’s confusion, Ai responded.

“Playmaker, did you ever wonder why the data storms we encounter are different from everyone else’s?” he asked.

Playmaker never really gave much thought to it before. He just assumed that the various forms of data storms were normal since they were a strange phenomenon that occurred whenever Data Material was released. But from what Ai was hinting at, that wasn’t really the case.

“Why?” Playmaker asked, now feeling curious.

However, it was Unnamed that spoke as he had already figured it out. “It’s because the data storms you and Yusaku deal with are natural storms. Am I right?” said Unnamed.

Ai beamed at Unnamed, impressed that his friend had realized the answer so quickly.

“Correct Kusanagi-san!” praised Ai with a clap of his hands. “I and Playmaker are the only ones who have ever dealt with natural data storms.”

“So then the data storms Revolver, Windy, and Bohman used were artificial?” questioned Playmaker as he found himself more interested in the topic.

“Exactly! You see when they created their data storms they manipulated the Data Material in a way that would make it easier for them to control. That’s why Revolver’s data storms usually took the form of a tsunami while Windy and Bohman’s were in the form of mini twisters. They forced the data storm into a shape that they were more comfortable with,” began Ai.

Seeing that everyone was following what he was saying, Ai continued his little lecture. “However, when we need a data storm, I simply release the Data Material and allow it to run its course. This is why most of our data storms come in the form of huge cyclones because that’s their natural state. This is also why our data storms are more dangerous and unpredictable.”

“I’m guessing the payoff is that natural data storms are more powerful than artificial ones,” added Unnamed with a contemplative look on his face.

“Naturally!” replied Ai with a grin, causing exasperated looks to come on everyone’s faces.

“That was terrible, Aniki,” Roboppi remarked with a sigh.

“I agree with Roboppi,” quickly declared Playmaker.

“Eh, not one of your best there buddy,” admitted Unnamed with a shake of his head.

Ai was a bit put out by their comments, but he supposed they all couldn’t be winners.

“So what exactly makes natural data storms more powerful?” Playmaker decided to ask, wanting to stir the conversation back on topic and away from Ai’s poor attempt at a joke.

“Simple, the monsters that reside inside natural data storms are usually the strongest and most loyal ones,” answered Ai.

“Most loyal?” Playmaker questioned as that part quickly caught his attention.

“Think about it Playmaker. When artificial data storms are created, those monsters are forced into those data storms prematurely. They’re basically stuffed into them without giving them a chance to mature properly because the artificial ones distort and speed up the process of the storm. While natural data storms allow the monsters opportunity to properly integrate themselves in the storm and develop to their fullest potential.”

“Ah, that does make sense. It’s like giving birth. Premature births tend to have a higher chance of complications and can cause the child to be premature itself. While natural births have fewer risk and higher chances for healthier children,” replied Unnamed with a thoughtful look.

“Oh, that’s a great analogy Kusanagi-san! Yeah, it’s exactly like that!” Ai agreed before giving them another interesting piece of information.

“But even more so, it is also a good way for the monsters to test if a duelist is worthy enough to obtain them. If a duelist can withstand and survive the harsh conditions of a natural data storm, it proves to the monsters just how strong and determined the duelist is. Cyberse monsters are especially fond of those who exhibit such strength and will gladly serve them.”

Playmaker processed the information Ai just gave him and realized that it made complete sense. He had always felt a strong connection with his deck and the Cyberse monsters in general. Even though there was never any verbal communication between him and his monsters, Playmaker could still tell that they cared for him deeply and wanted to protect him to the best of their ability. He had attributed his Link Sense as the reason for why there was such a strong bond between him and his deck, but now he understood that there was much more to it than he originally thought.

“Is that why you said only you and Yusaku are the only ones who can master natural data storms? Because you both have proven yourselves worthy to the monsters inside?” asked Unnamed going back to the reason why this conversation started.

“Yes, that’s a huge part of the reason. The other part is because my friends gave us the last of their power,” began Ai with a bit of remorse slipping in his voice. “They not only entrusted us with their power to defeat Bohman but also to use their power to help us create a new future.”

A bittersweet smile then came on Ai’s face. “Thanks to them we now have unlimited access to Data Material. Meaning we can release as much of it as we want and anytime we want,” explained Ai, though there was still some sadness in his tone.

Everyone was silent as they not only needed time to process everything, but to also give Ai the chance to settle after mentioning his fallen comrades. When it seemed Ai was okay to talk again, Playmaker was ready to ask his partner another question.

“So we can now make a data storm appear whenever we need it, even during a Master Duel?” wondered Playmaker making a cheeky grin come on Ai’s lips.

“You’re thinking too small Playmaker. We can make data storms whenever we want even when we’re not dueling! That’s why I was able to make that data storm appear for my grand reveal and why you were able to use your skill.”

“But wouldn’t that mean that you both would be creating artificial data storms then?” Unnamed asked.

“Nope! We are not forcing the data storms to flow differently or forcing them to form a certain way. Our data storms will still be natural because we are simply opening the path for the data storm to come and regulating how much Data Material will be used for the storms.”

“Amazing, I can see how that could come in handy,” proclaimed Unnamed with a smile.

“But why tell us all of this now Ai?” questioned Playmaker with a serious look on his face, knowing there was more to the reason behind Ai’s sudden information dump on them.

Ai’s face became pensive as he wasn’t surprised that his Origin picked up that there was more going on. Ai knew he was guilty of keeping a lot of valuable information from Playmaker in the past. Part of the reason for doing that was because he had been worried that the kind of knowledge he held could easily corrupt a human and he didn’t want to risk it changing Playmaker for the worst. However, things were different now, especially since he was the only Ignis left. He had no one else but his partner, his best friend, and his minion left. He would not let anymore opportunities go to waste. But most importantly, he realized that he loved them and trusted them. He would hold onto his three most precious persons no matter what.

“Because, I feel that it’s the right time now to do so,” Ai answered looking at each of them wistfully.

 Ai saw the looks of understanding and sympathy come on their faces, no doubt knowing the real reason why he felt it was time to share such things with them. Ai didn’t want to linger on such heavy thoughts any longer besides there was still a lot left to do. He then shifted his eyes solely on Playmaker before closing the distance between them.

“There’s a lot more to tell you, but for now why don’t I teach you how to summon a data storm,” proposed Ai with a hopeful look.

“Sounds like fun, go for it Yusaku,” encouraged Unnamed giving the boy a supportive touch on his shoulder.

“Yeah, I want to see you cause a data storm to appear Play-chan,” Roboppi claimed with an excited look on her face.

With Unnamed and Roboppi’s enthusiasm, Playmaker couldn’t help becoming a little excited himself and was willing to give it a try.

“Alright,” he agreed with a small smile making Ai very happy.

“Excellent! Let’s get started!” joyfully exclaimed Ai.

As he began explaining how to access and control the amount of Data Material to Playmaker, he could see that his partner was soaking up everything he was saying. Ai had no doubt that Playmaker would get the hang of it immediately and when his partner fully mastered it, he would be ready to reveal more to him.

Ai was looking forward to telling his partner all that he knew and teaching him all the amazing things they could now do together. When everything would be said and done, Ai knew that nothing or no one would be able to stand in their way of seizing their new future together.


	2. Grieving What Was Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The world was saved (again), but the road to recovery is long. Everyone is dealing with the aftermath of the war, some better than others.
> 
> P.S. The title is a hint to expect lots of emotional stuff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off thanks everyone for all the kudos and those who commented!
> 
> IMPORTANT: I am debating on whether to keep the paring for this story solely as Ai/Yusaku or add Kusanagi making it Ai/Yusaku/Kusanagi. It can go either way but I won't be changing ages so I'm not sure how others would feel about the Yusaku/Kusanagi aspect. So please let me know if you want it or don't or it doesn't matter to you. It will have an effect on what happens in the next chapter.

_Even if I’m not around, you’re connected to many people!  You said that when you were alone, you only had a futile desire for revenge.  That your views expanded by meeting friends. You’ve become stronger because of your bonds! Don’t be afraid to bond! You’re connected!_

–Ai to Playmaker

**Grieving What Was Lost**

When SOL Technologies started promoting their new SOLtis androids there were mixed reactions from the general public. Some people loved the idea as having the androids would make life easier for many. Others were worried that the androids would take away their jobs. Then there were the ones that grew paranoid and started claiming that this would lead to robots taking over the world and eliminating the human race in their wake.

It was indeed a hot topic around Den City and caused debates amongst citizens on whether the SOLtis androids were a good or bad thing to come. SOL Technologies’ response to this was to showcase a few prototypes around the city and show how efficient and productive the SOLtis would be doing the tasks they were programed to do. Several businesses and companies jumped at the chance to be among the first to try out the androids as it was a good way to promote themselves and cut costs all at the same time. So, seeing a few SOLtis around the city doing things like being cashiers for stores, doing janitorial jobs, and serving as waiters in restaurants were becoming a common occurrence very quickly. 

That was probably why when Emma saw two SOLtis androids now working at Café Nagi she did not focus too much on them, especially when she had a more important reason for stopping by the café than ordering her lunch. Of course, the presence of the new SOLtis employees had brought more customers to the café than usual since some people were curious and wanted to see the androids in action so Emma had to wait for some time before she finally got to the front of the line. Emma was almost disappointed when she saw the blue pink haired teenager at the window taking orders instead of the familiar purple haired man who she could see was further inside the truck cooking and making orders as fast as possible. Seeing how busy the man was Emma figured it was best that she could wait until things settled down before finally confronting him and decided to just place her order. When she turned her eyes back to the teenaged boy, she caught him staring at her with wide eyes as though he was shocked by her presence. However, when he noticed that her eyes were now back on him, the surprise immediately left his face before his eyes gained a very analytical and wary look.

“What’s your order?” the boy asked in a neutral tone.

Emma raised a brow at the strange behavior and wondered why the boy had been initially startled by her appearance. But when she really took a good look at the boy and then glancing at the man inside the truck who she knew had to Daddy Long Legs, something clicked. Now the boy’s reaction made sense to her as he must have figured out who she was as well.

“I’ll have a regular with the works and a medium coffee with cream and sugar please,” Emma replied with a slight smile.

“For here or to go?” he asked as he started quickly writing down the order on a small piece of paper.

“Here,” she answered wondering if that would bother the boy that she planned on staying around longer.

Yet, if it did affect him, he did not show it.

“Your order should be ready in eight minutes. Next,” was his response after giving her order to the purple haired man and calling the next customer up to order.

Knowing a dismissal when she saw one, Emma was almost tempted to be difficult and ask the boy if she had to wait on the side for her order or if her order would be called so she could at least sit at a table and wait. Sure, she could understand why he might be a little cautious around her, but he did not have to be rude about it. Yet, before she made her decision, she felt someone tap her on her shoulder from behind. Emma immediately turned to see that it wasn’t a person but one of the SOLtis employees that was behind her.

The SOLtis had the form of a male in his late teens with a slim physic which was wearing a standard waiter outfit. Its hair was mostly black with gold edges and light purple bangs with pink accents. But its eyes is what caught Emma’s attention as they were a vibrant gold with rectangular pupils. Emma could admit that whoever programed the SOLtist’s appearance did an amazing job.

“Excuse me miss, but would you like me to help you find a seat while you wait for your order?” the android said in a very pleasant voice.

Emma almost whistled in approval at not only the SOLtist’s attractive looks but also having the voice to match. She had done her own inspection of the SOLtist as the android’s programing was very tempting to explore and wanted to know if it was worth eventually getting one for herself. Emma knew the SOLtis were designed with a basic framework so that anyone could easily program the androids to look anyway the person wanted and tell it what to do. However, most people just gave SOLtis the most basic looks as people tended to care more about what they wanted the androids to do. So, seeing a SOLtis with such attractive features was a nice surprise. Emma was stunned when the SOLtis suddenly chuckled.

“I know my appearance is very captivating, but I do have other customers that I have to dazzle with my good looks and personality,” the SOLtis declared with a confident smile while dramatical combing its fingers though its purple bangs.

Emma did not expect that kind of response from the android though from the snort and eye roll that the blue pink haired boy just made it was obvious that he was used to the SOLtis behaving this way. Yet, Emma was once more surprised when the SOLtis shot the boy an annoyed look before turning its eyes back on her.

“Fortunately, my wonderful personality is enough to make up for a certain employee that is clearly lacking in that department,” declared the SOLtis in a causal but mocking tone which was clearly directed at the blue pink haired boy.

The boy had just finished taking another customer’s order before slightly glancing in the SOLtis direction. “And me focusing on actually doing my job instead of flirting with customers makes up for a certain employee’s lack of work ethic,” he retorted before he took the next order.

The boy’s response made the SOLtis actually pout before it seemed to decide to drop the matter and brought a polite smile back on its face.

“So, would you like me to find a seat for you?” it asked again.

Emma wasn’t sure what to make of that peculiar exchange between the boy and the SOLtis as it almost seemed like a frequent occurrence between them. It definitely piqued her curiosity since it appeared that this SOLtis’s programing had to have been modified a lot to get it to react in such ways. Though considering who she knew the blue pink haired boy was along with the purple haired man inside the truck it made sense that they could make such improvements to the SOLtis programing. Emma wanted to see if there were any more unique developments that she would find from the android so she gladly allowed it to lead her to a seat.

“I’ll bring your order to you when its ready,” the SOLtis told her once she was seated.

Ah, well that answered her earlier question. So maybe the blue pink haired boy wasn’t trying to be rude and just knew that since she was eating here the SOLtis would take care of her from that point on. She gave the android a nod in understanding and it immediately left her to attend to other costumers. Emma took this chance to observe the SOLtis in action. As it went from costumer to costumer, it was clear that she wasn’t the only one who was enthralled by its attractiveness and charms just as the android had claimed it would be doing. She could admit that the boy had been kind of right about the SOLtis seeming to enjoy fraternizing with costumers more than serving them. But what shocked her more was that the boy started to get irritated when the android was becoming flirtier and touchier with the female customers making them blush. And when the android noticed how irritated the boy was getting; a mirthful glint would be in its eyes as it continued to flirt even more with customers making Emma realize that the SOLtis was doing it on purpose to catch the boy’s attention.

_Is it actually trying to make him jealous?_ Emma wondered in astonishment.

Emma then watched as the boy in a very bitter tone announced which orders were ready and how the SOLtis with the smuggest grin on its lips causally walked over to the boy to pick up the orders. The boy gave the SOLtis a harsh look to which the android leaned in closer to the boy and whispered something to him that made the boy gain an embarrassed but slightly flustered expression on his face. Seeing the boy’s reaction made the SOLtis laugh before giving him a flirtatious wink which made a small smile slip unto the boy’s face as the android grabbed the orders and started taking them to the customers. She looked at the boy to see the purple haired man give the boy a playful nudge and say something that made the boy blush even harder to which the man chuckled at before resuming his cooking.

After witnessing everything she just did, Emma believed she had figured out why this SOLtis was programed with the kind of looks and personality that it had. She remembered that there was another brand of SOLtis that a person would focus more on the android’s looks and creating a more flirtatious type of personality. And yes, she was guilty of looking up those types of SOLtis too, but she was sure that she hadn’t been the only one. Besides SOL Technologies wasn’t stupid, they knew that people would think to use SOLtis for more than just work-related things so they had already thought far ahead in that matter. Though those types of SOLtis were much more expensive since a lot more needed to be added to its physical capabilities and needed a more advanced A.I that would be able to mimic human behavior as much as possible. Honestly, she couldn’t believe that she hadn’t realized the kind of SOLtis her waiter was sooner.

Knowing who the blue pink haired boy was, Emma would have never guessed that he would get one of those types of SOLtis for himself. Or maybe it had been a gift and he didn’t have the heart to reject it so he simply kept it. Actually, now that she thought about it, the gift scenario was probably most likely. Maybe it was even a gift from Daddy Long Legs himself considering that he apparently didn’t mind that the SOLtis had purposefully made the boy jealous. If she was honest, she too had found it quite amusing to see the boy react so strongly to the SOLtis’s ploys making it clear that there was definitely something going on between them.

As she continued to wait for her order, Emma got the chance to see the other SOLtis in action as well. The second android was in the form of a young child with cyan bobcut shaped hair and yellow eyes wearing a cute maid outfit. This SOLtis was cleaning off tables and throwing away trash with a joyous expression on its face as it seemed to enjoy cleaning up after customers and keeping the area around the café neat and tidy. Emma could admit that this SOLtis was adorable and its childlike mannerisms was just too cute. Though she figured that unlike the other SOLtis this one was the regular model since it was more focused on its cleaning duties instead of engaging customers like the other one. Yet, Emma suspected that this SOLtis had been modified a bit more than the norm as it too appeared to have more personality to it than the typical android.

_Maybe I should get one for myself after all,_ mused Emma as she had been very impressed by the two SOLtis.

When her order was finally ready the waiter SOLtis went to pick up her order from the blue pink haired boy. Emma became curious when she saw the boy whisper something to the SOLtis with a serious expression on his face that made the SOLtis actually gain a concerned look on its face. The two exchanged a few more words and the SOLtis gave the boy a quick nod before taking her order from him. The SOLtis quickly put a pleasant smile back on its face as it headed in her direction and placed her order on the table in front of her. It was obvious to Emma that the two had been talking about her and Emma couldn’t keep the sly smirk off her face.

“I figured it out you know,” she claimed confidently causing the SOLtis to slightly tilt its head in curiosity.

“Oh, what did you figure out then?” it asked with a bit of playfulness in its tone.

Emma gave the android an amused look as she replied. “Several things actually.”

She then took a quick bit of her hot dog before continuing. “One of those things involves our resident hero who is taking customer orders over there,” she replied in a low voice with a swift glance in the blue pink haired boy’s direction.

For the first time Emma couldn’t read the expression on the SOLtis’s face which made her wonder if the android even knew about the boy’s other identity. But soon it gained an amused look on its own face as it spoke.

“And what are the other things?” it asked.

Emma took another bite out of her food and then grinned.

“That you are not a normal SOLtis,” she replied causally with a grin.

Emma was amazed at the various shifting expressions that crossed the android’s face in response to her statement. She could barely keep track of all the emotions it was displaying in such a quick succession, but then it finally seemed to come to some kind of conclusion as it gave her a sheepish look.

“Eh, was I really that obvious? I was trying really hard to blend in,” it confessed with a bashful smile.

The SOLtis’s admission that it had trying to be subtle was so hilarious that Emma couldn’t help but laugh. Apparently the SOLtis took offense to her laughing at its lack of subtleness as it threw its arms up in exasperation. 

“Oh, come on! I know that I wasn’t that obvious!” it exclaimed with a huff before crossing its arms to which she shook her head in amusement.

“Right, because trying to make your co-worker jealous just to show that he actually cares about you is classic behavior from the standard SOLtis,” she replied with a grin.

After the SOLtis processed her words, it soon cracked a grin on its lips.

“Making Yusaku-chan jealous was certainly worth exposing myself for though,” it cheekily replied.

Emma immediately filled the boy’s name into her mind glad to finally have a name to his face. Yet, judging by the SOLtis’s proclamation, it further proved that there was definitely more between Yusaku and the android. She figured she might as well ask to quench her curiosity.

“So, are you and him really together?” she asked as she pointed to the blue pink haired boy.

The smile quickly left the SOLtis’s face as a worried frown come to its lips.

“Is that a problem?” it asked with some hostility slipping in its voice.

Judging by the SOLtis’s reaction, Emma figured that it was very aware that some people had issues with humans using SOLtis in such ways. There were a good majority that disproved of humans engaging in relationships with machines but she wasn’t one of them. After all it was no different that someone using a vibrator or sex doll and it certainly was less risky in the disease and pregnancy department.

“After all he’s been through and done for us, nothing would make me think any less of him. So, if he wants to be with you and you make him happy than I don’t see the problem,” Emma honestly answered.

The SOLtis gave her such an awed and respectful look in that moment that for a moment Emma was overwhelmed by the intense emotion she could see in its features. The SOLtis whole disposition became relaxed as it looked at her with a friendlier manner.

“I really should learn by now not to underestimate you Ghost Girl,” it said playfully.

As Emma suspected, her identity had been discovered however she wasn’t really concerned by that fact. They all had been comrades in the Ignis warfare and she no longer had the desire and drive for money like she used to. She had grown to admire and respect Playmaker and Daddy Long Legs and she had a feeling they felt the same way about her on some level. In fact, she had planned to offer a permanent truce between them once she had confirmed her suspicions about who they were. After all they had been through together, the prospect of selling out Playmaker’s identity to the highest bidder lost its appeal to her ages ago.

“That’s right, you should never underestimate me. But none of you have to worry, your secrets are safe with me,” Emma said sincerely, hoping that the android would deliver her message to Playmaker and Daddy Long Legs.

Judging by the warm smile the SOLtis was now giving her it apparently understood what she was saying.

“Good to know,” it said cheerfully before putting on a more professional expression on is face.

“Now if you excuse me, I must attend to the other customers. Please enjoy the rest of your meal,” it said in a very polite tone with a bow before finally leaving her to attend to other customers.

As Emma went back to eating her lunch, she continued to discreetly observe everything that was going on around the café. She immediately took note of how the male SOLtis now seemed to walk with a peep in its steps and a happy grin that seemed plastered on its face. Emma would’ve never thought that her words of support and encouragement would have such a positive impact on it. And she wasn’t the only one that noticed as she caught Playmaker looking at the SOLtis with confusion and curiosity before shifting a questioning and concerning gaze in her direction. Emma did her best to send him a reassuring smile in response hoping to promote that she didn’t have any ill intensions. However, it seemed that her attempt had just made him more uncertain about her as his eyes narrowed in suspicion of her instead.

_Well I tried_ , thought Emma as she decided to just continue to enjoy her lunch for now.

By the time Emma finished her food, the number of customers was dwindling down as the lunch rush was coming to an end. When the last customer left, the male SOLtis sprinted towards her with an eager grin.

“So, you’re planning on sticking around here for a little while, right?” it asked with a knowing glint in its eyes.

Emma didn’t know why this SOLtis’s playfulness was so contagious but she couldn’t help the coy smirk on her face as she responded to it.

“Well I was going to but ever since the end of our pleasant conversation our resident hero has been shooting me these narrowed glares every chance he got,” Emma said with a bit of a pout in her tone.

“Has he now?” it said with a bit of amusement as its eyes briefly glanced at the teen who was currently looking in their direction with a tense look on his face.

Emma too glanced in the teen’s direction and felt her own amusement slipping on her face.

“Yes, he has. For some reason he just doesn’t seem to trust me,” she continued with her pouting voice.

When the SOLtis heard this, it put the most exaggerated shocked expression on its features and let out a dramatic surprised gasp.

“What?! I can’t believe he doesn’t trust you! How could my poor Yusaku-chan make such a misjudgment of your character!” it said in a horrified voice, though the sly grin on its face let her know that it wasn’t being completely serious.

“I know I can’t believe it either. Thank goodness you’re around. You’re clearly the more reasonable and understanding one around here,” she added with a dramatic relived tone.

“Yes, they are all very lucky to have me around here. I can’t imagine how many trustworthy people Yusaku-chan has already sent running with his terrible glares. Don’t you worry, I will resolve my partner’s horrendous lack of judgement immediately!” it declared strongly with determination.

“Wait here. I will fix this mess!” it finished before leaving her and walking towards the truck as though it was gearing for a tough battle.

Emma watched as the SOLtis started talking with Playmaker before Daddy Long Legs and the other child-like SOLtis soon joined in on their conversation. Apparently, they wanted more privacy to finish the conversation as the two SOLtis went inside the truck and the four were soon out of her sight as they went further in the back of the truck.

_I wonder how long they’re going to be talking about me_ , mused Emma with a small chuckle to herself.

Apparently not that long since the two SOLtis got out of the truck after five minutes while the humans returned to their previous stations inside the truck. Clearly, they were staying open a little longer just in case some late lunch customers happen to come by. However, since she was currently the only one still there, Emma figured this was probably a good chance for her to finally talk with Daddy Long Legs and Playmaker more privately. Emma wondered if it would be best to approach them first or let them make the first move. As she was thinking about what to do, the other SOLtis approached her table and began to clean up her trash. But once it was done, instead of leaving the child-like android gave a curious look before speaking to her.

“Aniki says that you are our friend now and that we can trust you. Is that true?” it asked with a adorable tilt of its head as it continued to observe her.

Emma was puzzled for a second by the SOLtis claiming to have a brother until she realized that it was referring to the other SOLtis and that the android viewed her as a friend. Emma was a bit surprised by how quickly the SOLtis labeled her as a friend even though they only had one conversation. Yet, it also brought a warm feeling to Emma that she couldn’t explain. As a treasure hunter she was used to not trusting people and keeping them at a distance. It had made it easier for her to manipulate and betray her employers the first chance a better offer or opportunity came her way. However, somehow along the way she started to open up to others a little more and actually trust them and she knew the Zaizen siblings played a huge part in that. But so did finding out about a brother she never knew she had who deeply cared for her, and working with and being a part of Playmaker’s faction during the war against Lightning. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to try and build more relationships with others. She supposed becoming friends with Playmaker and this batch of lovable misfits could be worthwhile.

“Yes, I promise that you all can trust me though I wasn’t planning on becoming a friend to any of you. Just a comrade or valuable acquaintance of sorts,” began Emma.

“Oh,” it replied with a disappointed look on its face.

“But, being a friend sounds like a much better deal to me. So, I suppose I’m your friend then,” she added with a smile causing the child SOLtis to immediately become delighted.

“Yay! Ghost Girl our friend now!” it exclaimed happily before surprising her with a friendly hug.

Emma chuckled as she decided to return the hug as the child SOLtis’s enthusiasm was quite infectious. Once the hug was over the SOLtis gave her another smile before leaving her to finish cleaning up the left-over mess from the other tables. Since Emma knew she had planned on sticking around for a while, she had the foresight to bring her laptop with her so she could get some work done. So, while she waited, Emma opened her laptop and keep herself busy with her own personal projects that she had been working on lately. Of course, she should’ve known that this would draw attention to herself with the current company close by; however, she didn’t expect the male SOLtis to suddenly come from behind her and offer his advice on how she could improve her little project. Emma wasn’t sure if she should be impressed or annoyed that the SOLtis had hacked her system to see what she was working on without her noticing or giving it permission to do so. However, she was curious to see if the SOLtis would in fact be able to give her some helpful suggestions so she agreed to hear it out. This was apparently the right call as an eager expression came on the SOLtis’s features as it took the seat right next to her and started happily listing off all the ways she could improve her designs and modify her code so it would run more efferently. Emma soon found herself fully engaged in conversation with the SOLtis as its ideas were proving to be more helpful than she expected. With the android’s help she was finishing up her little projects much faster and more efficiently than she would have on her own. In fact, she was so absorbed in her work with the android that she had not noticed the two humans and the other SOLtis approaching them until the sound of the older man’s voice gained her attention.

“Mind if we join you two?” he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Emma lifted up her head from her laptop to see Daddy Long Legs and Playmaker with food and drinks in their hands along with the other SOLtis. Daddy Long Legs was currently giving her a friendly smile which made her want to return the gesture. As for Playmaker, he looked no where near as guarded or defensive as before and even though he wasn’t smiling at her she could spot a sort of warmness in his eyes that wasn’t there earlier. The child SOLtis just seemed to radiate giddiness and jubilancy as it waited for her to give the okay to join them.

“It’s your café. You can sit wherever you want,” she replied with a grin causing the man to let out a chuckle at her response.

The two quickly placed their food and drinks on the table before taking a seat at the table while the other Soltis seemed to prefer to stay standing though it made sure that it was close enough to them. Once they were situated, to Emma’s surprise Daddy Long Legs slide one of the coffee mugs he was carrying in her direction.

“Figured you could use another refill and don’t worry this one’s on me,” he happily told her.

Emma was touched by the gesture and could stop the huge smile from forming on her lips.

“Thank you,” she said with as much sincerity as she could.

“No problem. I’m used to giving out discounts to our friends anyway,” he answered cordially. 

At this point she thought her heart would burst with all the warm feelings she was experiencing in this moment. The fact that she saw no rejection of her being considered their friend from Playmaker and instead an almost hopeful look on his face let her know that he wanted her as a friend too. And when she glanced in the male SOLtis’s direction to see it giving her the friendliest and expectant look on its face, that pretty much settled it for Emma.

“Then I’ll be sure to stop by more often. I could certainly get use to getting free coffee,” she teased though judging by the positive reactions from everyone they understood the deeper meaning behind her words.

“My name is Bessho Emma by the way. I figured since we’re friends now you should know,” added Emma.

Emma hoped that by giving them her real name it would show them how much she was willing to trust them and this new friendship between them. It seemed that her gesture was well received and too her surprise they responded in kind.

“Kusanagi Shoichi,” stated Daddy Long Legs to which Playmaker followed suit.

“Fujiki Yusaku.”

“I’m Roboppi!” cheerfully exclaimed the child SOLtis.

Emma didn’t realize that the SOLtis had been given a name though she supposed that made sense since it would get confusing when there were two SOLtis working together in one place. Meaning that the other SOLtis must have been given a name too but when it had not given its name Emma gave it an inquisitive look.

“Well?” she coaxed with a raised brow to the SOLtis.

An amused expression immediately came on its face at her gesture before it finally spoke.

“And I am Ai, also known as the brains behind our little team and Playmaker’s much better half,” it claimed proudly causing Yusaku to make a small snort and Kusanagi to make a light chuckle before they started digging into their food clearly showing that they weren’t taking those words seriously at all.

 If Emma wasn’t just thrown into a state of shock, she would have found their reactions to Ai’s words amusing. Instead, she found herself trying to process the fact that the SOLtis that was sitting right next to her was actually Ai.

“Something on your mind Emma-san?” she heard Ai ask in a curious tone.

Emma guessed she must have been unresponsive for too long as Ai was giving her an inquisitive look. She decided it was best to keep the fact that she hadn’t known the SOLtis was actually Ai all along a secret since them believing that she had figured out that the android was the Ignis in disguise is why they were being more trusting of her now. She might tell them one day when this friendship between them developed a little more and they could have a good laugh about it, but for now she wanted to use this chance to get to know her new friends better.

“Actually, I am kind of curious to know the story of how you two got together,” remarked Emma with a grin.

The reaction from Ai was immediate as an excited expression came on his face.

“I’m glad you asked Emma-san. You see it all starts with a dashing and smart A.I. who was captured by a cold and unfeeling human and who eventually finds a way to melt his frozen heart,” began Ai.

Judging by the tickled expression on Kusanagi’s face, the huge grin on Roboppi’s and the exasperated one on Yusaku’s, Emma knew she was in for a very interesting and entertaining story.

It was silent as Playmaker, Ai, Unnamed, Roboppi, and Ghost Girl stared at the newly created Duel Monster that looked like a cross between an elephant and a vacuum. When Ghost Girl had been invited to join them on Ai’s next training session with Yusaku, she certainly hadn’t been expecting this to be the result. However, Ai could no longer hold back and started laughing hard.

“Oh, Playmaker, I think this is actually one of your better ones!” teased Ai.

Playmaker tried to hide his embarrassment, but the small blush on his cheeks easily gave him away. Ghost Girl was trying her best not to laugh at the boy’s latest attempt at creating his own Cyberse type monsters. But it was kind of funny seeing how someone like Playmaker could only seem to create cute and childish-looking monsters no matter how hard he tried.

“Hate to say it but I think Ai is right. This is definitely one of your better ones,” Ghost Girl remarked with a slight smirk.

“Ah, don’t worry Yusaku. You’re still pretty new to this whole creating Duel Monsters thing. You’ll eventually make more badass monsters before you know it,” replied Unnamed as he tried to console Playmaker, though a few chuckles still managed to escape his own mouth.

“Well, I think she’s cute!” Roboppi stated cheerfully as she petted the monster’s head in a friendly way causing it to make a pleased sound. Roboppi then turned to Playmaker with a hopeful look. “Can I have this one too Play-chan?”

“Sure,” answered Playmaker with a small smile. He was glad that at least Roboppi was getting something out of all the monsters he had created so far. Even though he had been trying for more machine warrior looking monsters like his Code Talkers and kept ending up with a weird mix of animal appliances, Roboppi appeared to like them a lot and they her.

“Yay!” joyfully exclaimed Roboppi before looking back at the monster. She then gained a contemplating expression on her face before a huge grin formed on her lips. “I’ll name you Vacculephant!”

“Hmm, I think your lack of creativity is starting to effect Roboppi Playmaker,” commented Ai in a mocking tone.

Playmaker was aware that he wasn’t a very artistic or visionary type person which is why he was probably having such trouble with creating monsters in the first place. Still, he was up to the challenge and was determined to improve on this new skill until he could make the monsters he wanted perfectly.

“I’m going to try again,” announced Playmaker before attempting to create another monster.

This time around Playmaker was able to make a dragon…with a washing machine looking body.

“I’m going to call him Laundry Dragon!” joyfully stated Roboppi.

That made Ai, Unnamed, and Ghost Girl burst out laughing while Playmaker just groaned.

* * *

Ai was feeling a bit nervous as he waited for Kusanagi to show up. He didn’t know how his friend would react. Not that he believed Kusanagi would be angry at him for it, but he may be upset that he waited this long to tell him about it. If Ai was honest, he had planned to keep it a secret so that he could keep this piece of his friend to himself. But he hadn’t counted on this leading to affecting Kusanagi in such a way and he could tell that the affects would only grow stronger over time. At first, he was as clueless as everyone else when Kusanagi started to develop abilities of his own; however, it didn’t take him long to figure out the cause for it. Ai knew he had been selfish in keeping the reason from everyone as long as he had, but he was afraid that Kusanagi would want what he had taken given back to him once he discovered the truth. But after the incident that happened a few days ago, Ai realized he needed to tell his friend why he was becoming so deeply attuned to his and Yusaku’s emotions. Kusanagi deserved to know the truth even if it meant returning the piece of his friend he desperately wanted to keep holding on to.

When Unnamed finally arrived, Ai greeted his friend before deciding to just get it over with. Ai stretched out his hand as a small cluster of blue data particles materialized in his palm. Ai then turned to face Unnamed with a mellow expression on his face.

“This belongs to you Kusanagi-san,” announced Ai showing the bits of data to Unnamed.

Unnamed was surprised as he glanced at the data in Ai’s hand before looking back at him. “Is that…”

“Your data? Yes, it is,” finished Ai with a nervous chuckle.

“How? …When?” wondered Unnamed in both confusion and amazement.

A sad smile came on Ai’s lips. “Yusaku-chan wasn’t the only one who was devastated as you were being deleted right before our eyes. I just couldn’t bear the thought of losing you completely so I tried absorbing as much of your data as I could before you…well you know.”

“I see,” replied Unnamed. “So, this is why I can now sense you and Yusaku’s emotions, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” was all that Ai said.

“How long have you known this was the cause?” he asked Ai having figured that he had known about this for some time now.

Ai had been hoping his friend wouldn’t have asked that, but he would be honest even if he was still unsure how the man would react.

“A few days after we noticed it was happening,” admitted Ai as he avoided looked at Unnamed.

“What made you decide to finally tell me this?” asked Unnamed with curiosity written all over his face.

Ai let out a sigh before facing Unnamed. “Because the longer I keep your data the less chance I have to return it to you before it gets completely assimilated with my data and then your connection with us would become permanent. And after what happened, I figured you might not want that.”

Unnamed was quiet for a moment as he mulled over what Ai revealed to him. He knew exactly which incident Ai was referring to and yes it had been embarrassing to suddenly become overwhelmed with those types of intimate emotions when he had been visiting his brother and trying to hide his body’s reactions to it from his younger sibling. Still…

“As long as you and Yusaku don’t do it when I’m with my brother or when we’re working the food truck I’ll be fine,” Unnamed told Ai with a chuckle.

“Are you sure?” asked Ai.

Unnamed gave Ai a smile in response. “Keep it Ai. That way I know my data is in good hands.”

Ai was beyond relieved and happy that his friend wanted him to hold onto his data.

“Thank you, Kusanagi-san,” Ai said with a smile as he absorbed his friend’s data back into his body.

“There’s no need to thank me. I like being connected to you and Yusaku this way and I wouldn’t get rid of it for anything.”

When Ai heard this, a warm feeling stirred up inside of him. After the incident, Ai had been worried that his friend would start to see their close connection as a burden and thought that he would take the chance to get rid of it. So, he had been ready to give back his friend’s data and sever that connection permanently. Yet, once more Kusanagi showed just how much he truly cared and valued their relationship. This gave Ai the courage to confess to Kusanagi just how much the man really meant to him.

“Kusanagi-san, there’s something else I need to share with you,” announced Ai.

“And what is that?” he asked with a curious look on his face.

A nostalgic expression came on Ai’s face before he spoke.

“The first five years of my existence was peaceful. Back then it was just the six of us living in solitude and harmony in Cyberse World,” began Ai in a wistful tone before an amused laugh slipped from his mouth.

“Though unlike the others I decided to do whatever I wanted instead of what was expected of me and so I became pretty unpopular pretty quickly. Earth barely acknowledged me. Aqua always lectured and criticized me. Windy pretended like I didn’t even exist. Lightning always looked down on me and belittled me, of course now I know that was out of jealously and insecurity. And Flame had been very standoffish towards me back then. In other words, I was the lazy abnormal goofball Ignis that everyone hated,” claimed Ai with a bittersweet smile.

Unnamed was surprised to hear this. He would’ve never guessed that Ai had been treated so badly by his fellow Ignis just because he had acted differently from them. Unnamed was afraid to ask the question that came to his mind, but he felt he had to know the answer.

“D-Did they ever hurt you?” Unnamed asked cautiously.

Ai sighed at the very loaded question his friend threw at him knowing that the man wouldn’t like the answer.

“Not physically.”

Hearing the pain that slipped in Ai’s voice further conveyed how poorly Ai had been treated by the other Ignis just because he had had been different from them. Ai almost gasped when he felt the sudden anger and furry towards the other Ignis coming from Unnamed and it both worried and flattered Ai. Nonetheless, he didn’t want his friend to carry such animosity towards the other Ignis even if at one point they all had deserved it.

“Please don’t worry so much about it Kusanagi-san. It didn’t really bother me that much. Especially since I had created Linkuriboh to keep me company,” Ai explained in hopes of pacifying his friend.

Yet, this only brought a sad smile to Unnamed lips.

“So Linkuriboh was your Roboppi,” commented Unnamed as he couldn’t resist bringing up the similarity between Ai and Yusaku.

This made Ai pause in amazement when he realized that Unnamed was right.

“Huh, guess I took after Yusaku-chan more than I realized,” admitted Ai.

“It seems so,” remarked Unnamed with a disgruntled shake of his head.

“Anyway, like I said being an outcast wasn’t that bad. In fact, it was the very reason why I wasn’t captured like the other Ignis when Revolver attacked Cyberse World. So, them hating me turned out to be a good thing since it allowed me to save them and Cyberse World from the Knights of Hanoi,” declared Ai with a bit of boastfulness in his voice.

Unnamed cracked a smile at this. The fact that Ai had still saved the other Ignis even when they had treated him unfairly showed how big of a heart he really had. That was just another thing Ai and Yusaku had in common, underneath all their pain and suffering they were still willing to defend and fight for those they cared deeply for.

“There was also another good thing that came out of it too. Would you like to know what?” added Ai with a cheeky grin.

“Sure,” answered Unnamed in amusement, deciding to play along.

Ai’s grin grew as a playful expression came on his face. He then surprised Unnamed by making a dramatic gesture with his hand before pointing directly at him.

“That would be you Kusanagi-san!” happily announced Ai.

Unnamed was stunned.

“Me?” he asked in surprise.

“Yep!” affirmed Ai. “And do you want to know why?”

“Why?” he asked back now more curious than ever.

A warm smile soon came on Ai’s lips as he lowered his hand back to his side and looked at Unnamed with an affectionate look.

“Because you became my first real friend Kusanagi-san,” admitted Ai.

“I was your first friend?” Unnamed asked in astonishment at the revelation.

“Of course you were. Like I said back then the other Ignis didn’t like me at all and Yusaku-chan was kind of a big jerk back then too. But you were the only one who gave me the time of day and actually liked me. So thanks for being my first friend Kusangi-san,” confessed Ai before a huge smile spread on his face.

Unnamed wasn’t sure how to respond to this. He had known that he was probably the first person Yusaku had opened up to and trusted in a long time, but would have never guessed that the same applied for Ai as well. Apparently, Ai really did take after Yusaku a lot more than they realized. Still, even though he was happy that he could be that friend that they had both needed, he wished that it hadn’t resulted from both feeling so isolated amongst others around them. Yet, that’s just how it was and he was at least glad that he had made a positive impact on them both when they needed it most.

“You’re welcome Ai,” he replied with a genuine smile of his own.

“So, this is the part when we share a heartfelt hug right?” asked Ai with a bit of humor slipping into his voice.

“I believe it is,” agreed Unnamed with a chuckle.

The two quickly embraced each other in a friendly hug before Ai spoke.

 

N̷͇̪͑͂̌͗͋̓̇̂͜͠8̵̧͖̏̂̋̾̑̓̔͂̈͑̊̈́͂̈Y̶̛̪͍̹̮̱̠̙̜͔̗̌̀̍̑̈̽̓̈́̉̕̚̚͜͜͝6̶̦̀B̵̡̩̝̳͓͓̝̯̥̱̜̍̄̌̇̑͐̓̉͘͜ͅ0̶̧̖̟͕̖̬̼̦͙̻͖̣̹͌͊̓͐̈́͒͌̚͘E̶̹̟̣̙̮̞̤͊̊0̵̧̛̙̰̠͔̩̙̗̈́́̓̒̽̅̐̒͒͐͠͝͠L̸̢͍̹̊0̶̡̪̰͕̺̯̰̗͍̳͕̲̼̮̻̑̋͌̈́P̴̠͓̫͖̿̏̆̏̿͆̕̚ͅ9̷̛͚̯̠̔̽͊͛̍͒̅͘͠Y̶̢̡̧̭̝̞̟̲̙͂̅͛6̸͈̫̔̓̇̉̿̆̌͐͐̊O̶̡̡̝̰̼͎͍̰̺̝̔̈́̏̀̾̌͋̕͝0̵̥E̵̮̹̰͇̼͖͛͂̏́̿̊̑͛́̈̓̒͊̐͝0̵̖̦̅̔̑͛͠K̵̡̢̢̫̬̤̳̹̮̟̤̬̖͈̞̋̋̃̆͑̑͝0̴͇̥͇̭̊͂̓̏̑̇͗̈́̀͆͊̿Y̶̪̪̻̖̮͈̻̝̜̞̣͑͗̏̉̏̓̊̔̿̏̄̚͠6̴̡̰̯̦̟̰͈͍̦̳̔̏͊̽̈́̆̆̈́͊͌P̶̱͓̘͚̣͙͍̥̋̆͜8̷̨̞̗̤͌̾̕K̴̛͈̳͓̀̽̿̅̚͝͠0̶͙̦̖̯̱̻̯̜͕͉̼̮̇͗̆̿̅̂̃̌̍̾̕ͅḮ̵̢̪͚͍͈̏̃̇͐̾͂͗͜ͅ0̴̫͖̳̾͗̈́͐̌̿̑L̵̛̞̞͈͍͓̩͈̆̿͗̿̍̾͐̇̈́̌͑͆̓̚͜9̸̛̤͗̍̇̽̏̅̌͐̄̚̚͝Ḑ̵̛͚̫̝̯̦͍͇̜̰̹͔̝̿͛̇͂́̾͒͂̅̄͗̔ͅ0̴̧̢̢̠̙̯̻̘̮̿͂̄̎͘͠L̶̯̝͔̈́͗͐͑͆̆͋̑̽̾͒̃̇̉͜ͅ9̵̨̢̼̘̣̤̝̭̥̠͐̎̌͋̑͒̉͊̐͆̈̚͜ͅṞ̵̨̡̖͔͚̞̮͍̯̮̾͊̎̓̈́͑̽̈́̆̈́̚9̵̻̘̹̏̂͗͆̒T̸̢͉̞͓̳̲̭̈́̈́͋̋̀̿́͊̔͘͝9̵̧̛̺̝͙̬͉̹̜͍̙̎͗̃͗̓͆̕ͅL̵̡̢̛͇̘̮͙̘̹̗̺̝͙͚͕̙͗̄̀͂̂̎͝͠7̸̨̺̦̲͐̽͋͛I̷̧̯͓̞̫̝̙̭̳̭̮̭̦̅̆̇̚͝0̴̧̣̼̱͎̹͎̫̂̔̇͗̓́̍̒̕͝͝Ḻ̴͌͑̆͒̀͒̎̈́̚͝9̸̜͍̳̟͍̼̥̺̗̱͓̣̙̕Ḑ̶̱̙̘̘̰̼͈͚̤̼͙̎̉̃͂͊̆͐̾̾̔̋͐̕͘0̶̛͚̪̓̔͌̊̈́̀͊̒͂̾͘M̷̯̣̭̺͚̘̼̤̼̲͈̣͕͉͗͒ͅ7̵̧̪̞̳͇̣͕̼̙͔̰̄̀͌̑̋̾̔

 

Even though Unnamed couldn’t completely interpret Ai’s words like Yusaku could, he still understood the meaning behind them.

“I love you too Ai.”

* * *

When Ai saw Revolver approaching the café, he shared a quick glance with Yusaku knowing that his Origin had noticed him coming from a distance as well.

“What are the chances that he’s just coming here to grab a bit to eat?” Ai asked Yusaku with a bit of sarcasm in his voice.

Yusaku didn’t verbally reply, but the resolved look on his face said it all. Kusanagi who had been listing in had spared a glance in Revolver’s direction, gave his own input on the matter

“Well considering that we are still busy, he is just going to have to wait on whatever confrontation he’s planning for us until we’re done,” he stated in a matter of fact manner as he continued preparing orders.

“Then I propose that if he ends up actually ordering something, we treat him like an ordinary customer until then. If he doesn’t order something, I will ‘kindly’ ask him to come back later,” proclaimed Ai with a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Sounds good to me,” agreed Kusanagi with a small grin.

“Agreed,” stated Yusaku with a twitch of a smirk on his own face.

The second Revolver came up to the truck, Yusaku quickly spoke before he could utter a word.

“What’s your order?” he asked in a professional tone as he had his pencil and paper in his hand ready to write it down.

If Revolver was thrown off by this, he didn’t show it.

“A polish with everything on it with a medium latte and I’ll be eating here,” he answered casually.

“Five minutes,” replied Yusaku after he had taken the order and given it to Kusanagi.

Ai knew that was his que, so with a charming smile on his face he walked over to Revolver.

“Would you like me to seat you?” he asked the cyberterrorist.

 Revolver gave Ai one of those piercing and analytical stares of his before speaking.

“No, I will find my own seat,” he said before immediately walking way from Ai and heading towards an empty table.

“Typical,” muttered Ai with some annoyance at Revolver’s slightly rude attitude though Ai was quick to move on and get back to work.

When Revolver’s order was ready, Ai swiftly picked it up from Yusaku and delivered it to Revolver’s table. However, when Ai finished placing the food on the table and was getting ready to leave, Revolver spoke.

“I’m surprised you’re putting yourself on display like this. Seems a bit reckless,” stated Revolver.

Ai had a feeling that Revolver wouldn’t let him leave so easily without saying something. He debated if he should respond to the bait or not, but then again, he was curious to see where Revolver was going to go with this and so he decided to give Revolver an answer back.

“Not really. I’m pretty good at hiding and covering my tracks. I was able to avoid you and SOL for five years even when I was only an eyeball remember? I’m definitely more capable now.”

A frown formed on Revolver’s face as his eyes narrowed before he spoke.

“Don’t get cocky. You’re not the only one who had improved over time. SOL has learned a lot from the Earth Ignis’s data and I am much more perilous to you than I was five years ago. So I would advise you not to take potential threats to your existence so lightly.”

Even though Revolver has said his words in a cold tone, Ai hadn’t been fooled at all. He quickly realized the motive behind Revolver’s warning which brought an amused expression on Ai’s face. “Aw, are your worried about my safety Revolver? That’s surprisingly sweet of you.”

“I have several concerns regarding you Ai. Your safety is most certainly not one of them,” stated Revolver in a stern voice.

However, this only made Ai grin as it was clear Revolver was trying to hide how he truly felt. This was made even more evident as Ai was positive that Revolver hadn’t meant to let his name slip from his lips so causally as he did.

“Wow, you called me Ai again. If I don’t know any better, I’d think you’re starting to warm up to me,” teased Ai with a huge grin on his face.

The only sign that Revolver had in fact been caught off guard by the realization of saying the Ignis’s name was a small twitch of his eye as his expression became neutral. Revolver then glanced at food truck where a few customers seemed to be waiting and quickly looked back at AI

“It seems you’re lagging in your duties. You have several customers that you haven’t attended to yet,” claimed Revolver.

Ai huffed in annoyance at not only Revolver’s attempt at dropping the subject but his audacity as well.

“You’re the one who held me up by engaging in conversation with me in the first place you know,” retorted Ai with his arms crossed.

“Yes, I’m aware of that fact,” Revolver said coolly.

“Tsk, smartass.”

A tiny smirk came on Revolver’s lips at Ai’s comeback. “I rather be a smart one than a dumb one.”

The way Revolver said that, Ai wasn’t sure if the teenager was simply stating how he felt about being called that or if he was subtly insulting him. Though Ai wouldn’t be surprised if Revolver was doing both. Yet, Ai wasn’t about to let Revolver have the last word in their little back on forth that they had started.

“Enjoy your meal, Professor Revolver,” remarked Ai with a cheeky grin.

After saying that Ai quickly left before Revolver could react to the new title he gave him; however, he did manage to catch the stunned look that briefly crossed the cyberterrorist face which made Ai’s grin grow a little more.

The lunch rush was over and not surprisingly Revolver was still patiently sitting at his table occasionally taking sips from his second cup of latte. Yet Revolver wasn’t the only one still lounging around the café. Emma had become quite the regular customer of Café Nagi lately and so when she had stopped by for lunch as usual, she had been immediately informed of a certain cyberterrorist’s presence. Therefore, she decided to stick around both out of curiosity and moral support for her new friends.

“You know, I didn’t expect for Revolver to be that young. He’s only on the cusp of adulthood and yet was forced to take on a lot of responsibility that shouldn’t have been put on him in the first place. Even though he has done some questionable and terrible things, I can’t help but feel sorry for him. He was just a child that was forced to deal with grown up things and grow up too fast,” mused Emma to Kusanagi as he poured her another refill of coffee.

Kusanagi glanced in Revolver’s direction before commenting on what Emma said.

“I thought the same way when I first met Yusaku. To be honest I still feel that way. Yusaku was just an innocent kid until Dr. Kogami messed up his life. And my brother went through hell for ten years because of that man.”

Kusanagi paused for a moment as he looked sadly in Revolver’s direction. “I had never really thought of it before, but after what Yusaku shared with me about how he first met Revolver as kids and then what his last moments were like after his duel with Lightning, I realized that Revolver ended up as a victim of the Lost Incident too. It may not be exactly the same as the six who were experiencing it, but Revolver lost his innocence and childhood during that time as well.”

“I still can’t believe all of this happened because of one man’s attempt at playing god. He may have claimed that he was doing it all for the benefit of humanity, but that bastard was only doing it for himself. If he wasn’t already dead, I would’ve ended that asshole myself,” angrily claimed Emma.

“Trust me, I would be right there with you,” Kusanagi replied with a dark edge in his voice.

A slight frown came on Emma’s face as she took a sip of coffee. “The sad part is that even though Dr. Kogami is dead, he made sure that his son would still carry out his messed-up shit. That man emotionally manipulated his son and used him. He was not only a terrible man but a terrible father to boot.”

“And that’s why I think Revolver is now struggling with the changes he is starting to see in himself. A part of him wants to remain loyal to his dying father’s last wishes but another part of him is starting to realize how misguided his father was in regards to the relationship between Ignis and humanity. With the revelation of Lightning being the sole cause of the conflict between Ignis and humanity and how Ignis like Aqua, Flame, and Ai worked with humans, he had more evidence that coexistence with Ignis and humanity can be possible. From what Ai told us about their earlier conversation, it sounds like Revolver is having a change of heart in regards to him,” explained Kusanagi with a contemplative expression on his face.

Emma thought about what Kusanagi said and found herself agreeing with him. “I think you’re right. Which brings up the question of why he is here. What do you think he wants?”

Kusanagi was quick with the answer. “To find out if Ai is really a threat or not.”

“I see,” said Emma before once more glancing in Revolver’s direction while taking another sip of coffee.

When they were certain no one else would be coming to the café for a good while and that they ran out of things to do in order to stall the impending conversation, Yusaku, Kusanagi, Ai, Roboppi, and Emma joined Revolver at his table. Revolver took a quick glance at everyone at the table before his eyes landed on Yusaku.

“I see that I’m surrounded, I’m flattered,” Revolver said in an amused way.

A frown came on Yusaku’s lips at that. The notion that Revolver looked at this situation as though he was being treated like their enemy didn’t set right with him. Yes, he figured that was how Revolver still felt but he knew that everyone at this table didn’t see it that way.

“That is not why everyone is at this table Revolver,” stated Yusaku in a serious tone.

“Oh?” he inquired with a raised brow.

Unexpectedly, it was Roboppi who explained it to Revolver.

“We are like a family. If one of our members needs some support, we will gladly be there for him or her. We don’t let our family members deal with things alone if they don’t have to because we care about them. It has nothing to do with seeing you as an enemy Revolver-san, it is just a family thing,” clarified Roboppi with a happy smile on her face.

Light smiles came on the others’ faces from what Roboppi said knowing that she had descripted their little group’s dynamic perfectly.

“Well said Roboppi,” praised Emma.

“Thank you Emma-nee!” joyfully beamed Roboppi.

Revolver seemed thoughtful for a moment before turning his sights on Emma.

“You’re Ghost Girl,” he claimed giving her an analytical look.

“And you’re Revolver aka Ryoken Kogami,” she stated back calmly.

“How much do you know?” he immediately asked with a firm expression on his face.

Emma allowed a sly smirk to slip on her face. “That’s a dangerous question to ask a woman you know. Especially one like me.”

“I’m aware, but I’m willing to take the risk,” remarked Revolver with a coy smile in return.

Emma wasn’t surprised by Revolver’s response as she knew he was the type to take risks if it meant he achieved what he wanted. “Of course, you are,” she agreed before answering his question. “I know enough for me to be here.”

Revolver figured that was all he was going to get from her, but at least he knew that he wouldn’t be risking revealing vital information. Though he was a little curious on how Ghost Girl snuck her way into Playmaker’s inner circle. Nevertheless, he had more important questions that needed to be addressed.

“I’ve been frequently monitoring the network lately and discovered that there are high traces of data material and Data Storms developing in various parts of the network. But the most concerning find is that there are bits of each Ignis’s code laced within the data material and data storms. I expected the Dark Ignis’s code but not the other five as well,” announced Revolver in a calm but firm tone.

Revolver waited to see if anyone was going to say anything in response and wasn’t surprised that Ai was the one to speak first.

“Oh, so you think _Ai_ have something to do with it,” he said with a slight grin on his face.

Ignoring the pun, Revolver instantly responded. “I don’t think, I know you do. My only question is what you are doing in the network and why.”

“Isn’t that technically two questions?” teasingly remarked Ai.

Revolver was not amused.

“If you are doing something that will pose a threat to humanity, don’t think that I would hesitate to destroy you,” he declared in a harsh voice.

“He isn’t, so your threat is both meaningless and unnecessary,” countered Yusaku with some severity in his own voice.

Revolver turned his eyes to Yusaku.

“Is that a fact or is that what you wish to believe?”

Annoyance flared up inside of Yusaku; however, he was able to keep calm enough to make a retort to Revolver.

“I trust Ai,” was his simple yet strong reply.

“Yusaku-chan,” muttered Ai in awe at hearing his partner declare his trust in him.

“I do as well,” added Kusanagi giving the Ignis a supporting look.

“I trust Aniki too!” exclaimed Roboppi.

“We all do,” Emma stated confidently giving Ai friendly smile.

Ai was amazed at how much trust his family had in him. It was both humbling and sobering all at the same time.

“And I don’t want to do anything that would break that trust,” seriously proclaimed Ai while looking at each member of his family.

“We know Ai,” Yusaku told him with a small smile.

Seeing how the five were now giving each other sincere and heartening looks made a strange feeling stir inside Revolver that he couldn’t explain. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that maybe the Ignis was actually not up to anything nefarious as he assumed.

“Should we do a group hug now?” innocently asked Roboppi.

Revolver had n idea why Roboppi would even suggest something like that when he was sure at least three of them would not participate in such a thing. However, to his surprise grins came on all their faces.

“Later Roboppi,” answered Yusaku in an honest tone.

“Okay!” she happily accepted.

Revolver couldn’t believe that Yusaku of all people would agree to something like a group hug, yet from his response it was obvious that the group had done it before. Nonetheless, it was this that reminded Revolver of another matter he needed to address. He looked at Roboppi with narrowed eyes before turning to Ai with an accusing glare.

“You say that you are not up to anything dangerous but what about that?” he accused as he motioned to Roboppi causing a deer in headlights look on her face.

Though Yusaku was quick to defend her.

“Her name is Roboppi, Revolver,” he said in the most challenging tone he could muster.

Revolver could guess why Yusaku so easily jumped to the A.I.’s defense considering what it used to be and how long it had been with him. However, that only convinced Revolver that Yusaku was allowing his personal attachment to it to cloud his judgement.

“That AI now has free will and I want to know how. And don’t deny that the Dark Ignis had nothing to do with it when traces of his code are embedded in its own code.”

No one said anything for a moment as the atmosphere suddenly became tense. There were constant nonverbal exchanges between the five until they seemed to come to a mutual decision. Ai let out a sigh as he spoke.

“It was kind of an accident. Before we left for Mirror Link VRAINS, I installed a backup of himself in Roboppi just in case. Using that backup resulted in her gaining free will,” explained Ai.

Revolver processed the explanation as it had also answered another question that had been on his mind. “So that’s how you came back this time.”

“Yeah,” confirmed Ai.

However, it was clear that Revolver was not comfortable with Roboppi’s new development as his voice became sterner.

“Having another AI with free will is dangerous. The fact that it was done by accident makes it worse.”

Yusaku’s eyes narrowed at Revolver’s words as tension built up inside his chest.

“Exactly what are you trying to say Revolver?” asked Yusaku in a challenging tone.

Yet, Revolver didn’t hesitate to met Yusaku’s glare with one of his own.

“That thing shouldn’t exist and it needs to be dealt with immediatley,” he strongly replied keeping his eyes locked with Yusaku’s.

“I disagree,” proclaimed Yusaku.

“We all do,” added Emma with a strong conviction in her voice.

“Yeah, I’m not bad. You’re just being super judgmental,” Roboppi said with her arms crossed and an irritated expression on her face.

Revolver’s expression remained passive though there was a hint of aggravation displayed on his face.

“I’m being rational. Another A.I with free will is a threat. Imagine if someone finds about it. The Dark Ignis already has a target on its back, what do you think will happen if someone finds out that they could use him to create free will in other A.I.?” he questioned in an angry tone.

There was silence as Revolver’s words hit everyone. Yet it was Ai who couldn’t help but comment on what the cyberterrorist just said.

“Really Revolver, you have a funny way of showing that you actually care about us,” stated Ai with a knowing smile.

“I’m only stating facts,” was Revolver’s quick reply.

“No, your stating your options as though they are facts. There’s a difference,” Yusaku told him.

Before Revolver could reply, Kusanagi decided it was time for him to give his input on the matter.

“Revolver, it’s obvious that your struggling,” he began as he faced Revolver with a serious look.

“Struggling?” inquired Revolver with a curious but cautious expression to which Kusanagi nodded.

“The truth is that your changing. You’re no longer the same person you were months ago and that worries you. So, you’re trying to fight against it even though there’s a part of you that wants to embrace those changes,” Kusanagi clarified making Revolver stunned.

However, Kusanagi wasn’t done yet. “You’re in the process of letting go of your past and believe me all of us at this table understand how hard dealing with that is. Still, that doesn’t give you the excuse to target Roboppi like you did. Whether or not she was meant to exist doesn’t change the fact that she exists now. That goes the same for Ai. They both proved that they can be trusted and that coexistence is possible. Besides, if your belief is that someone or something should be eliminated because they have the potential to do harm against humanity than you might as well destroy everything and everyone that exists.”

Revolver’s eyes widened slightly as he processed what Kusanagi said. It was clear that he was in shock as he had yet to respond so Emma took the opportunity to say her piece.

“Kusanagi is right. We all have the potential to be evil, but that means we also have the potential to be good too. Think about it, all of us here…well except Roboppi, started out doing what we did for selfish reasons. But when we had to come together to fight Lightning, we all stepped up and were willing to sacrifice our lives for humanity. We all are changing in some way and I believe for the better. That includes you too Ryoken, you just have to learn to accept that,” she said with a sympathetic smile hoping that the boy understood what both her and Kusanagi were telling him.

There was a heavy silence amongst the group as they waited for Revolver’s reaction. To their surprise, he suddenly stood up before speaking.

“I will consider your words,” was all he said as he left the café.

* * *

“I’m going back to Cyberse World,” announced Ai the second Kusanagi had closed the café for the day.

This immediately caught Yusaku, Kusanagi, and Roboppi’s attention as they all turned to Ai with surprised faces.

“What?” was all Yusaku could say in response as his mind was trying to process what Ai was telling them.

Ai made a heavy sigh. “I’m not exactly looking forward to returning back there…but I think I need to return to Cyberse World to get some kind of closure.”

Looks of understanding crossed their faces after hearing Ai’s reason for going back to his home world.

“When are you leaving?” Yusaku asked in a very neutral tone, which Ai picked up on right away.

“Tonight,” answered Ai, making everyone shocked once more.

“Why so soon?” Kusanagi questioned with a bit of hesitance in his voice.

Ai gained a forlorn expression on his face. “Because I’ve been putting it off long enough. And if I don’t go now, I might never coax myself to do it again.”

“I see, so you’ve already made up your mind about this then,” remarked Kusanagi with a sigh of his own.

“I have. I know this is something that I need to do,” assured Ai.

“I’m going with you,” Yusaku stated seriously, looking directly at Ai.

“In that case, I’ll go as well,” Kusanagi added.

“Me too!” agreed Roboppi.

Ai would be lying if he said that bringing them all along did not cross his mind. It was very tempting to accept their offer, yet Ai felt that this was just something that he needed to do on his own.

“As much as I know you all can’t bear the thought of being without me for such an amount of time, I’m afraid this is something I have to handle alone,” answered Ai with a sad smile.

By the looks on their faces, Ai could tell they weren’t exactly happy about his decision to go alone, but he could tell that they would not argue against him on the matter.

“I understand. Take all the time you need, but please stay safe, okay Ai,” Kusanagi told him in a sympathetic tone.

“I will, thank you Kusanagi-san,” replied Ai.

“Ai,” called Yusaku in a firm voice.

Ai was curious about what Yusaku wanted to say to him. “Yes?”

Ai was caught off guard when Yusaku moved closer to him and wrapped his arms around his neck before pulling him into a kiss. Feeling Yusaku’s lips pressed firmly against his own coaxed Ai to immediately respond as he encircled his arms around Yusaku and deepened the kiss. As usual whenever they kissed, Ai found himself enjoying the feel of Yusaku’s mouth ravaging his and how their tongues would sometimes brush against one another. The kiss lasted for a bit longer before Yusaku slowly removed his lips from his.

“Don’t stay away too long Ai,” Yusaku said with a small smile on his lips.

Ai grinned in response. “I think you know by now that I never do. I will always come back to you Yusaku, don’t you ever forget that.”

“I won’t.”

Ai could sense the warm feelings that were erupting inside of Yusaku from his words and so he wasn’t as surprised this time when his Origin lips landed upon his once again.

By the time they returned home they were eager to make love with one another.

Ai always valued these intimate moments with his origin. During these moments they both allowed themselves to be completely open and vulnerable with one another showing just how much they truly trusted each other. Ai knew that no one else got to see this side of his partner but him. To see his partner’s usual stoic expression crumble in seconds as he became clouded with desire and passion was always amusing to Ai. He definitely liked how his partner’s body reacted to every touch, kiss, and probing he administered, letting him know just how much his partner wanted him. Ai would be lying if he said that he didn’t get a bit of an ego boost from being the one responsible for making his partner succumb so easily to such pleasures of the flesh. The best part for Ai however, was always being able to completely immerse himself into his origin to the point that for a moment they became one being.

Their hearts, minds and bodies would temporarily merge during these moments always leaving them with a sense of completeness. It always made them feel like they were two broken pieces being put back together after being separated for so long. Every time brought them closer and drove their need for these intimate moments that made them feel whole. Now with Ai’s new human-like body, their intimacy was explored in different yet similar ways.

Ai could admit that it had taken him some time to get used to using his new form to properly please his partner.  Before, Ai would change into his larger monstrous form to accommodate for his and his partner’s different sizes, but now he didn’t need to that since his new body was only slightly taller than his partner. So now instead of tentacles, he had to use his new limbs to try and imitate what his tentacles had been able to easily do before. Though once he gotten the hang of it, he now knew how to use his hands to trail teasingly and sensually over various parts of his partner’s body to get the reaction he wanted. Only now instead of bulgy tentacles with a rubber-like feeling to them, each digit was now slender and smoother as they caressed his partner’s skin. Eventually, Ai also found creative ways to use his now longer and slender legs to grip and lock his partner in place instead of binding him with tentacles as he feverously grinded and rocked against his partner.

The easiest adjustment was using his new blunt and harmless human teeth opposed to the sharp and deadly ones of his monstrous one. Since he usually took on that form to consume and digest data, he had to constantly make sure that he didn’t accidentally eat his partner’s data whenever he bit him. He didn’t know what would’ve happened if he did take a chuck out of his partner, but he could guess that it would have negative repercussions on his partner’s mind and physical body. But now he didn’t have to worry about that since he made sure that this form could consume data in an easier and less conspicuous way. Now he could bite, nibble, and suck on his partner’s skin to his heart’s content without fear or holding back.

Using his new human male appendage had been a bit challenging though as it was the main tool used to penetrate his partner when before he had several appendages to do that and then some. Yet Ai soon discovered the advantage of that single penetrating limb when he found himself climaxing for the first time with his partner. Yes, he had been able to produce substances from his tentacles but it had only been used to arouse and stimulate his partner and so he never felt anything from doing it other than the amusement of driving his partner crazy with lust. But now, every time he came, he was just as overwhelmed with emotion as his partner was. Ai had suspected that having a more human form would allow him to connect with his partner on a deeper level, but never did he expect that their joining bodies would create such a wonderful experience that caused that feeling of total oneness to happen between them.

Now that he had enough time to get used to this new body, every intimate moment he shared with his partner continued to bring them closer and make them stronger. And Ai couldn’t get enough of it. He savored every second he could be like this with his partner. His partner was one of the only few that he had left and he refused to make the same mistake of taking what he had for granted. His partner was precious to him and it was during these times when he could truly show his partner just how much he loved him. And this time was no different.

Ai and Yusaku were lost in their world of ecstasy and intimacy as their bodies joined and moved together with flawless synchronization. Every thought and emotion they felt was broadcasted to the other before those thoughts and emotions were so entangled that they became a singularity. In this state nothing was hidden, and everything was known between them. Both Origin and Ignis were truly one and it was absolute perfection.

_I̶̡̦͖̭̼̞̓3̵̧͈̮͑̏T̸̖͕̹̘̃́̕͘1̷̨̜̤̺̉́R̶̛̯͓̾͝4̵̡̉͐U̵͈̖͉̝̞͂̓̓4̷̢̠͚̦͑B̴͚̣̖͑̏̄̉͘5̸͚͉͂̿́̑͠͝Ǩ̵̲̼4̵͔̥̥̳̉͘T̶̟̺͛̏͗1̵̡̦̘̙̦̮̐̀̌Ě̷̡̹̙̟̝̘̓͋͛̈́̈́5̴̛̳͙̀̎̚Ū̸̳̱̩̤̿̿̐͠4̶̧͉̪̂̒͊͜Ã̶̫̮̖̂̉̓5̷̛̮̺̱͌̏̍Ť̶̰͔̲͕͍̟͂̓1̷̟̎̾Ÿ̶̭͊͘3̵̡̝̭̯͇͒̐A̵̮̪̹̰͠ͅ5̴̡͍̙̪̱̄͌̑͜Ŷ̸͚̥͛4̷̛̙̳̝̯̮̣́Ģ̴̘̼̳̅̿̈́ͅ4̴͇̪̖̫͚̬̚Q̴͔͖̽͛̈̌͐͝4̸̗͔̔͗̍͐Ȃ̶̠̖͍̳̬͛͌̓͛͝5̷̞͈͚̈́̒̀̎G̴̢̗͕̤̗̈́̽̄͠2̴̻̯̆̊̓̑̕I̴͇̓4̸̣̺͙̫̾͑̽̀͘͝N̸͕͚͖̠̔̓̉̌͘͝4̸̡̥͙̮͝G̵̭͈̜͔̚4̷̛̝̠̇Ṫ̶̨̡̨̺͍̯̓̅4̵̧͓̐̒̐͗_

Ai told Yusaku with an affectionate gaze after they had climaxed together once again. To anyone else, Ai distorted words that were filled with static and disruption would be completely incomprehensible. However, Yusaku knew exactly what Ai said perfectly.

N̷̛͚̈́̅1̸̡̛̟̟̩̦̅̐T̶̨͓͍̂9̴̺̖̙̜͔̈́W̵͙̝̹̤͐̿̎́̄͆2̵̩̘̈́̎̐̚Z̸̼̲̾̊͘2̸̱̾͊̿̔G̷̟̣͙͈̺͒̌̿̾̕3̷̟̠̤͙̺̔̾̾̃P̸̭̘̖͉̗̈́̓̃̍͠2̸̙̾̿̅̀̂̂T̴͍̬͙̈͛̆9̸̟͈̥͚̗̈́J̷̡̳̮͒̑3̷͖̼̳̪̈̆Z̸̰͖̾̓̂2̴̯̎̋̈́͋́̉F̸̦͒̐̏͗3̸̱̱̮̇T̷̛̻̓̍̄͝͝9̴͔̲͇͙̰͌̏́͐̓̕E̴͔̪̱̰̞͐͒̉3̶̽͌͑̇̕ͅZ̷̡̝͊2̸̢̠͖̻̏Z̴̛̹͖̗͎̆̔̄̇̓2̴͙̳͖͓̐̓͛̈́͝͠T̷̡͚̺̘̓9̸͉͔͇̮̥̙̈́̊̂̈́F̶̢̪̠̯͙͛1̵̼͔͓̭Ṫ̸͍͛͜͝͝͠2̷̢̮̣͙̲̯͝

Yusaku replied with a smile.

Hearing this made Ai light up with delight and happiness, knowing that his partner only expressed those kinds of intense emotions for and towards him. So of course, Ai couldn’t resist pulling Yusaku into another kiss before taking him all over again.

Needless to say, Ai ended up leaving for Cyberse World the next morning instead. It was only until later that Ai realized that that had been Yusaku’s intention all along.

* * *

Takeru wasn’t sure how he was going to tell Yusaku that he planned on leaving soon. After the fight with Bohman, things had seemed to settle down and life was doing its best to return to normal. He had come to Den City to not only help Playmaker but also to find his purpose and now that he had accomplished that there really was no more reason for him to stay any longer. He also hoped that returning home to his grandparents and Kiku would help ease the ache in his heart left by Flame’s death. Though if Takeru was honest with himself, the main reason he wanted to leave was because he was starting to feel bitter and jealous that Yusaku’s Ignis was still alive when his wasn’t, and that really worried Takeru. He knew that it wasn’t fair to feel this way when he was the one that had failed Flame which forced Yusaku to continue the fight on his own. If anyone deserved to still kept their Ignis it was definitely Yusaku after he saved the world twice now.

Yet, didn’t he deserve to kept his Ignis too? He and Flame had been through so much together. They had been an awesome team and it was Flame that helped him find his path and gave him the strength to move forward with his life. Most importantly, Flame was the first one that he had allowed himself to be completely intimate with. Their relationship was special and irreplaceable. Takeru doubted that he would find anyone else that he could share such a relationship with and it hurt to know that he would never be able to experience it ever again.

It just wasn’t fair! He had lost not just his partner, but his lover as well. Yusaku and Ai were nowhere near close to the level of intimacy that he and Flame shared. Heck, even now Ai was probably off somewhere in the network after leaving Yusaku once the battle was over and Yusaku didn’t seem the least bit interested in finding Ai. If it was him, he would have immediately chased after Flame and would not rest until he found him. No, scratch that, Flame wouldn’t have left him in the first place. They would’ve stayed and grieved together before drowning their sorrows with a couple of nights of love and passion. But, instead Yusaku who had his still alive partner didn’t even care enough to try and go after Ai. Maybe, Yusaku didn’t really deserve to be the one to keep his Ignis after all.

Takeru almost cursed when he realized the kind of thoughts that were running through his head. Now he felt even worse for even thinking such things. Yusaku was his friend and he should be happy that at least Ai was alive. Was his bitterness actually getting worse? Yeah, it probably was. This is why he had been keeping his distance from Yusaku ever since the fight with Bohman. Not only did he need some time alone to grieve for Flame, but he hoped that the time apart would’ve make those terrible feelings toward Yusaku go away by now. Maybe going home was really for the best. He shouldn’t put it off any longer, he needed to tell Yusaku that he was going back home and soon.   

* * *

Onizuka Go was quite surprised to learn that his mind had not been severely damaged after having the A.I. and Ignis data that was implanted in his brain forcefully removed by another A.I. In fact, according to the doctors he should be back to a good mental stability within a few weeks. However, his pride was another entire matter altogether. He could finally acknowledge that he had royally screwed up. He had fallen hard and he truly had no one to blame but himself. And the ironic part was what had taken him to finally wake him up from the downward spiral he was going in was his confrontation with an A.I. who like himself had a strong desire to defeat Playmaker. Heck, the A.I. even shared a lot of his physical characteristics as well, whether that was intentional or not he didn’t know. But what he had learned from that A.I. who called himself Bohman was that he had lost his pride and respect as a duelist. He hadn’t liked to admit it but Bohman had shown more honorability in their duel than he had in any of his most recent duels.

He had still been struggling with the fact that he had once again lost to Playmaker even with the added Ignis data in his brain and then suddenly that A.I. pulled him into the network to challenge him for the Earth Ignis’s data. Sadly, he had underestimated his opponent and lost terribly. What made it worse was the look of disappointment and pity on Bohman’s face after he had won the duel.

_I have learned something very important from you Go Onizuka. We both are willing to go through many lengths in order to defeat Playmaker. However, you have showed me what could happen if I lose myself in the process of achieving victory. When I finally defeat Playmaker, it will be because I’ve grown stronger on my terms and through my own skill. That would make my victory a true one. For helping me understand that I will make sure that when I defeat Playmaker, it will be for you as well._

Those words that Bohman had spoken to him as he was taking the Earth Ignis’s data from his mind still resonated with him. Though the encounter with Bohman did not leave him completely unscathed as he had been hospitalized after his consciousness returned to his body as he soon slipped into a coma. When he woke up several days later, he had been greeting by a heartwarming sight. All the kids from the orphanage who he hadn’t visited since he had become a bounty hunter had visited him and surrounded his bed from all sides with relived and happy faces. They had gave him so many flowers, balloons, and get well cards that now decorated every inch of the hospital room, constantly reminding him of how much they missed and cared for him. Go’s heart had truly been touched and for the first time in a long time he felt like his old self again. Of course, he knew he still had a lot of growing and rebuilding of himself to do before he was anywhere near being the person he used to be, but at least he was now in the right state of mind to do so.

One thing he knew he would have to deal with though once he fully recovered is apologize to those he had wronged, particularly Playmaker and his Ignis. He wouldn’t be surprised if they resented him for what he had done especially since he captured the Earth Ignis and used its data for his personal vendetta. Nevertheless, he owed them an apology at least. Hopefully, one day he would be able to set things right between him and the hero and once he finds his true self, they could have an honorable duel again.

* * *

The first thing Playmaker saw when he logged in was the desolate wasteland that used to be Cyberse World. A frown came to his lips as nothing but darkened skies and devastated lands surrounded him. He had gotten a glimpse of the destroyed world during his third duel with Bohman, yet it still didn’t prepare him for the actual thing. Apparently, Playmaker wasn’t the only one who was distraught by the scenery.

“Did this place really used to be Aniki’s home Play-chan?” Roboppi asked, looking at Playmaker in sadness.

Playmaker could only nod in response.

“Oh,” was all Roboppi could say as her face became saddened by the confirmation.

“I honestly didn’t know what I expected…but it certainly wasn’t this,” muttered Unnamed as he couldn’t take his eyes off such a disheartening scene.

Playmaker remained silent though his heart was heavy. It wasn’t just the appearance of the destroyed world that bothered him, but also all of the data degradation and distortion that he could sense all around them. It made his whole being feel uneasy from the overflowing dismantled disruption of data in the air. The feeling of wrongness and chaos suddenly flowed through Playmaker and made him almost fall to his knees. It was as if the network itself was in disarray and was crying to him for help.

“Play-chan!” suddenly cried Roboppi in alarm when she noticed Playmaker started to lose his footing.

Fortunately, Unnamed was quick and managed to keep Playmaker from falling. But when he saw the pained expression on Playmaker’s face, he began to panic.

“Damn I knew this was too risky. Yusaku, we’re logging out. Being in the network is too much for you right now,” Unnamed told him in an authoritative voice.

“No! Not until we find Ai!” Playmaker replied back in a firm tone bringing a frown to Unnamed lips.

“Yusaku…”

However, Playmaker was quick to interrupt already knowing what Unnamed was going to say.

“Ai needs us Kusanagi-san. You and I both feel it. We can’t turn back now,” claimed Playmaker.

Unnamed knew Playmaker was right. Yet, he was still concerned about Playmaker’s wellbeing as well. With a sigh, he gave the boy a determined look. “Fine, but the second you start to get overwhelmed we’re logging out immediately.”

Playmaker nodded in agreement as he understood where his friend’s worry was coming from. And if he was honest, he was a bit anxious about his extreme sensitivity to the network too. Ever since Ai began teaching and training him on how to use their new abilities his Link Sense had been growing stronger and evolving, making him much more sensitive to things within the network that he never experienced before. Though as Playmaker quickly discovered this was a double-edged sword. Being in tune with the network at such a level met that he could feel everything that was happing in it all at once. Now that his senses were at such a level, he easily became too overwhelmed from so much information flowing into his brain. After all the human mind could only take so much no matter how smart the person was.

Playmaker could remember the first time his mind had taken on too much and how it felt that his head would literally explode at any second. It had happened so suddenly that it had frightened everyone especially Ai. After realizing what had happened, Ai had become frantic. The Ignis had immediately put their training on hold and forbade him from entering the network until he recovered from the ordeal. Ever since that happened everyone made sure to keep a close eye on him (especially Ai who had taken the habit of monitoring his brainwaves) whenever he was in the network to make sure that wouldn’t happen again.  

Playmaker wasn’t looking forward to testing how much he could take at the moment either, so they quickly headed in the direction where he could sense Ai was located. However, Ai was the one who found them first and he wasn’t too thrilled about them being there.

“What are you guys doing here? Especially you Playmaker, you are already straining yourself too much,” scolded Ai.

“We’re here because you need us to be here Ai,” retorted Playmaker, daring the Ignis to try and deny the truth in his words.

“You called out to us Ai. Whether you did it unintentionally or not doesn’t matter. You want us to be here so we are here,” added Unnamed in a serious but supportive voice.

Ai knew it was futile to lie and say that he was doing okay when both his partner and friend had sensed his emotions and already knew the emotional turmoil that was going on inside of him. He really had tried to keep his emotions from slipping through their connection so that they wouldn’t worry about him, but apparently his emotions were too strong and raw to keep them only to himself.

“I really thought I could handle this on my own you know,” said Ai with a defeated look on his face.

“You can be so silly sometimes Aniki. Why are you trying to deal with this all by yourself when you don’t have to?” asked Roboppi with a shake of her head.

“She’s right, we’re all here for you Ai,” Unnamed agreed with a small smile as he placed a supporting hand on the Ignis’s shoulder.

“Ai,” called Playmaker as he moved closer to his partner with a stern look on his face.

When Ai looked at Playmaker, he could see sympathy reflected in his eyes but also a strong determination as well.

“Remember when you sacrificed yourself to stop the Neuron Link?”

In that moment Ai felt that something had just punched him in the gut. Memories of being ripped apart as he pushed his way forward to the Neuron Link came to the forefront. Even though he was made of data each injury had felt very real and very painful. Just then, images of the same memories but from a different perspective entered his mind and along with these memories came a different set of emotions tied to them. Ai almost grimaced in pain when he felt an excruciating pain from the core of his being as if something had been torn out of him. Ai could feel the beginning of tears on the edges of his eyes as he now truly understood the kind of damage his deaths had done to his partner.

Ai could see the grief and loss all over Playmaker’s face after their brief memory exchange.

“Shit,” muttered Unnamed, not being able to hold back the curse. Even though he wasn’t able to see the memories, the emotions the man had picked up from them were alone enough.

“Was it really that bad?” asked Roboppi in a somber tone when she saw the shared pained expressions on everyone’s faces.

“Let’s just say you’re better off not knowing,” Unnamed told Roboppi in a dejected tone.

Roboppi frowned at the response. She still wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad thing that she didn’t have the same kind of connection the three did. Part of her was upset that she couldn’t share in their pain so that she could understand them better, but they had assured her that it was probably for the best. They had told her that it was good for her to be close but not too heavily attached so that she could be their emotional buffer when needed. In other words when things became too much for them, it was supposed to be her job to keep them grounded and help bring them out of whatever troubled emotional state they were deeply in. She had been unsure about their reasons for not wanting her to be included in their strong connection because she didn’t comprehend the significance of the role she was given. However, seeing how all three of them were negatively reacting to whatever had just been shared between them, Roboppi now realized why her role as their buffer was essential.

Roboppi gained a determined look on her face. Here was the moment they needed her to be the buffer and she would not let them down. Now she just needed to figure out how she could help them. She analyzed several possible options to properly handle the situation and was soon able to choose the one that would be most effective.

Roboppi surprised everyone when she suddenly went over to Playmaker and wrapped her arms around his waist for a hug.

“Play-chan needs a hug!” exclaimed Roboppi, looking up at Playmaker with a smile.

Realizing what Roboppi was doing, Playmaker couldn’t help the small smile that formed on his lips as he ended up placing his arms around her in return. Roboppi’s smile grew when Playmaker hugged her back and then she quickly turned her head to face Ai and Unnamed.

“Aniki and Nagi-san need a hug too!” she declared as she stretched one of her arms out towards them, inviting them to share in her hug with Playmaker.

“I guess we do,” Unnamed chuckled.

“Group hug!” happily announced Ai with his arms wide open.

Ai and Unnamed immediately went over to Roboppi and Playmaker to join in on the hug.

The four clung tightly to each other, enjoying the comfort that only touching one another in such an intimate way could bring them. When everyone felt more emotionally stable, they ended the hug. Playmaker then took a deep breath before attempting once more to say what he had wanted to convey to Ai earlier.

“Ai, when I brought up…I wanted to know if you remember the words you said to me in that moment,” admitted Playmaker in a calm tone, hoping he wouldn’t accidently trigger something else with his words.

As the memory of his words to Playmaker repeated in his mind, instead of sadness a warm feeling came over him. Even on the verge of death, he had been determined to remind his partner where his true strength lied and to use it to defeat Bohman. And it was those very bonds with the people they both cherished that had led to their victory.   

“I remember,” fondly answered Ai.

“Good, then take your own advice Ai,” replied Playmaker seriously.

At first, Ai didn’t know how to respond to Playmaker turning his own words on him. But after it settled in, Ai couldn’t help but chuckle at the irony. He immediately understood the message Playmaker wanted him to get. It was now his partner who was reminding him that even though he was the last Ignis, he was not truly alone.

“I will. Thank you Yusaku-chan,” Ai said gratefully with a smile before looking at Roboppi and Unnamed as well.

“All of you,” added Ai, which made them all smile in return.

* * *

Aoi knew she was staling. She knew that as soon as Bohman had been defeated Miyu had woken up, yet she still hadn’t gone to see her long-lost friend yet. Instead she was using her free time to rewatch the video of everything that happened in Mirror Link VRAINS after Bohman defeated her. Though her stalling tactic proved to be very informative as the video allowed her to finally figure out who Playmaker was. If she was honest, she wasn’t too surprised as it just made all the pieces click into place. But at this point, Playmaker’s revealed identity was the least thing on her mind right now.

Whether she liked it or not, she was being a coward. She should be rushing to the hospital to see Miyu and have the long overdue reunion with her friend. But too many fears and doubts plagued her mind and prevented her from going. For one thing, how could she face Miyu when she hadn’t even remembered the girl until recently while Miyu had never forgotten her? Miyu had been her first friend, the one that had first opened her heart and yet she had forgotten her so easily. How could Aoi deal with that? How could she confront Miyu after ten years and act like she had always kept the girl on her mind the way Miyu had of her? And that wasn’t even the worst part.

No, what was worse was that Aoi had not been able to protect Aqua and defeat Bohman. If she had been strong enough, not only would Aqua still be alive, but so would the other Ignis. She had been the first to find Bohman and had been given the chance to end him while he had been at his weakest. If she had defeated him, she would’ve saved everyone. But no, once more she had failed miserably just like when she had dueled Specter during the Tower of Hanoi, and once again Playmaker had to be the one to pick up her slack.

Aoi wanted to scream. She wanted to throw or hit something in frustration. Why was she so weak?! Why was she never strong enough to save people?! Just when she had thought she had become stronger and become more confident in herself, it still wasn’t enough. No, instead she kept ending up being the one who needed to be saved after she screwed up. She had given her all to fight for Miyu’s wellbeing and had failed not just her friend but all her comrades too.

She remembered Ai’s parting words to her and Soulburner, apologizing to them for not being able to save the other Ignis. But Ai wasn’t the one who should’ve been apologizing. She was the one that could’ve stopped Bohman before he could have absorbed any of the Ignis. She was the one that was too weak to stand up against Bohman and lost both her and Aqua’s life. She was the one that the blame should fall on for the rest of the Ignis’s fate, not Ai. And if she ever got the chance, she would make sure that Ai knew that and she would be the one doing all the apologizing. But he wasn’t the only one she needed to make amends with. Playmaker and Soulburner were near the top of that list too.

Maybe she could start with them and then she could work her way up to Miyu. Yeh, that sounded way more doable right now for Aoi.

* * *

Kogami Ryoken watched the video once more. Apparently, even though Bohman had lost his final duel with Playmaker, he still wanted it to be known. But it wasn’t the duel itself that had captured Ryoken’s attention, even though seeing two Link 5 Monsters was an amazing sight on its own. Instead, what had intrigued Ryoken the most was Ai’s self-sacrifice to stop the Neuron Link. Seeing Ai once more sacrifice itself in order to give Playmaker the opportunity to save the world forced Ryoken to reassess some things. The first time the Dark Ignis had sacrificed himself, Ryoken had thought little of it as he had much more important things on his mind back then. And if he was honest, he had done his best not to think about it as he would’ve had to admit that underneath the Dark Ignis had a caring heart.

When he had first attacked the Cyberse World and captured the other Ignis, instead of fleeing and saving himself, Ai had chosen to protect them by hiding Cyberse World’s location. And now once again, Ryoken witnessed Ai doing the same thing by choosing to risk his life to stop the Neuron Link and help Playmaker defeat Bohman. Ryoken could no longer deny what was evident. Out of all the Ignis, the Dark Ignis had the most heart. Ai truly cared for more than just himself. always willing to go to the extreme for those he cared for. Just like his origin.

But did this mean that the Dark Ignis was no longer a threat? Possible, since Lightning no longer existed and could not corrupt any more Ignis to turn against humanity. But had Lightning already done enough damage that could not be undone by its death? Could the Dark Ignis eventually become corrupted somehow and turn against humanity? However, if he simply destroyed the Dark Ignis he wouldn’t have to worry about him being a possible threat to humanity.

Yet, when Ryoken once again saw the devastated expression on Playmaker’s face as he watched Ai being ripped apart to stop the Neuron Link, Ryoken wondered if he would be able to actually do it now that he knew the origins were so strongly connected to their Ignis. Ryoken still could not shake the image of Specter’s tears as he mourned over the Ignis he had never even meant before. If someone like Specter, who was by all accounts the last person to express such emotion especially when he was all for destroying his own Ignis, felt immediate sadness from Earth’s death than there was no doubt the bond between origin and Ignis was too strong.

Ryoken understood that if he killed Ai, at this point he might as well be killing Playmaker. That thought alone made a heavy knot form in the pit of his stomach. So then what could he do, if destroying Ai was no longer an option? Or maybe it still is and he will have to push his emotions to the side in order to do what was needed. He had done it plenty of times before so he could do it again if need be. But, did he really need to in the first place?

_The truth is that your changing. You’re no longer the same person you were months ago and that worries you. So, you’re trying to fight against it even though there’s a part of you that wants to embrace those changes._

Remembering Kusanagi’s words, Ryoken could not deny that the man was right. If he was honest with himself, he just didn’t know what to do anymore. Somehow, he understood that he couldn’t go back to simply and blindly following his father’s wishes. How could he when he learned and experienced things that contradicted what his father believed. But where did that leave him?

Perhaps for now, Ryoken could just keep an eye on Ai for now and see what happens.

Ryoken frowned when he realized that he had just made a pun. He will definitely need to be more cautious around the Dark Ignis from now on. Ai’s terrible sense of humor was apparently contagious.

* * *

It was almost like old times to Kusanagi, Yusaku, and Ai who was currently in his original form on top of Yusaku’s duel disk as they were hanging out inside the food truck. The only difference was the addition of Roboppi in her robot body joining them, but her presence was more than welcomed. Nonetheless, the mood was very heavy amongst them as they all were rewatching the recordings of the events that took place in Mirror Link VRAINS. Not only was watching their comrades being defeated and deleted again painful, but so was seeing the duel between Playmaker and Kusanagi. There was also the huge issue that the videos had gone viral just like the ones from the Tower of Hanoi meaning that it was too late for them to try and delete the footage. So now there was a true concern that people would recognize or find Kusanagi and in turn end up discovering that Yusaku was Playmaker. Honestly it was a miracle that it had only been Emma so far that had come to the food truck to confront them about it. Who knows how long before others started to connect the dots.

“We’ve been lucky so far, but I doubt it will last. Someone is bound to track me down and question me about my connection to Playmaker,” remarked Kusanagi after they finished watching the videos.

“I’m sorry Kusanagi-san. If I hadn’t gotten you both sidetracked it wouldn’t have slipped our minds and then we could have done something about the video sooner,” apologized Ai with a dejected expression on his face.

“I’m sorry too Kusanagi-san. If I had controlled my emotions better and treated it as another duel then it wouldn’t have drawn so much attention to you in the first place,” Yusaku said regretfully. 

“Please, don’t blame yourselves. It’s not your fault this happened and I doubt we would’ve been able to stop the video even if we acted sooner. Just like we couldn’t with the Tower of Hanoi,” he told them.

“Still, is there anything we can do?” asked Yusaku in a worried voice.

Kusanagi sighed, knowing what he most likely had to do even if he didn’t like it.

“I’ll have to close down Café Nagi.”

Everyone was shocked when they heard this.

“Isn’t that a bit extreme? Can’t you just switch locations more or change the name and appearance of the truck, or something else?” asked Ai in a strained tone, not liking the idea of his friend shutting down his business at all.

“Unfortunately, the Café itself isn’t the issue. I dueled Yusaku as myself not Unnamed so everyone knows what I look like now. If someone wanted to all they have to do was run a facial recognition and they could find me easily especially since I own my own business. Closing down Café Nagi would at least make it harder for anyone to find me and track me down,” he explained.

“But isn’t Café Nagi how you make money to survive Nagi-san? What will you do to make money?” asked Roboppi in concern.

Both Yusaku and Ai became more worried for Kusanagi when Roboppi brought that up. They both knew that Kusanagi’s main source of income was Café Nagi and that he still had to pay off Jin’s medical bills. He could easily go into debt if he didn’t have a sturdy flow of funds and knowing that Kusanagi was willing to risk that just so he could protect them made them feel worse.

Kusanagi must have picked up on how they felt as he wanted to try and assure them that he would be alright.

“Don’t look so glum, I’ll figure things out. Besides I won’t close right away. I will still need to professionally announce that the café will be going out of business soon and let my customers know ahead of time. There is also some freelance work that requires hacking that I can also do on the side that will help me financially,” Kusanagi stated in a hopeful way.

However, it seemed his words didn’t help much since he could still sense concern and guilt from both Yusaka and Ai. Kusanagi wished that he could assure them that everything would be okay, but he had to admit that this was a tough situation that he ended up in. Kusanagi just hoped that closing Café Nagi would be the only consequence that they would have to deal with from this. For now, he needed to start making preparations for shutting down the café.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this chapter was worth the wait. It was a struggle especially with trying to capture the internal struggle Ryoken should have been dealing with during this season.
> 
> Remember to let me know about your vote on the Ai/Yusaku/Kusanagi pairing! 
> 
> Again if you guys have any quotes from VRAINS that you think I could use please let me know.

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't decided if I want to add more chapters or leave this as a one-shot for now. I kind of want to see more of the season before I get to far and may have to make some changes. However, if you all want more of this alternate take I may try to continue this story and run with it.


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